TikTok creators may have to move content elsewhere

LOS ANGELES - When Cassidy Jacobson was 13 years old, she posted a video of herself dancing on the popular app TikTok.

She found out that six years later her Cassidy J account would have 1.5 million followers on the short-form video platform with fans drawn to her love of dance and hair care.

As many lawmakers pressure the Biden administration to ban the popular Chinese social media app in the United States, the dream and those of other TikTok creators may be ruined as they claim the app could be used for data collection, content censorship and harm to children's mental health.

The Biden administration demanded its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential ban last week, according to TikTok.

Jacobson is preparing for the possibility that she may have to take her content elsewhere if the Chinese company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is no longer allowed to provide the app in the United States.

Jacobson told Reuters that TikTok is kind of rocky right now, and the goal of a content creator is to grow yourself across platforms to have a solid community.

The influencer is making sure to diversify her content, whether it is creating new content for YouTube reels or transferring her TikTok content to Instagram.

At a tense congressional hearing on March 23rd, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced tough questions from lawmakers.

Chew told the hearing that the app was free from any manipulation and that we do not promote or remove content at the request of the Chinese government.