U.S. cannot be the last nation to ban Chinese app TikTok, says Republican presidential aspirant Nikki Haley

Republican presidential aspirant Nikki Haley has said that when countries like India and Nepal have banned this social media platform, the U.S. cannot be the last to do the same.

Describing Chinese-owned app TikTok as dangerous, U.S. Republican presidential aspirant Nikki Haley has said that when countries like India and Nepal have banned this social media platform, the U.S. cannot be the last nation to do the same.

Haley, the Indian-American former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, said during a Fox News town hall that China was controlling the app.

“If you want to know how it affects you, just imagine by having that app on your phone, China can now see your finances, they can now see who your contacts are. They can see what you click on, why you click on it and how it affects you. They can impact what you see. And they can impact what you hear. That is the dangerous part of TikTok,” Haley, 52, said on Sunday.

“And India has banned it. You had Nepal just banned it because it was causing social disruption. America can't be the last country to ban TikTok. Let's end it now and stop it so it doesn't hurt our children any further,” Haley said in response to a question.

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Several US lawmakers have accused TikTok, and other social media platforms, of spreading content online that has been harmful to children’s mental health and failing to protect kids online.

The app remains essential to younger people, including of those of voting age in the U.S. According to Pew Research data released in late 2023, about a third of 18-29 year-olds in the U.S. said they regularly get news on TikTok, a higher share than ever before.