Governor Abbott announces plan to ban TikTok state wide

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - During the pandemic the social media app TikTok quickly took the world by storm. However, the app’s origins in China and its apparent ties to the government’s communist party turned it into a political lightning rod. On Monday, Governor Abbott announced a plan to ban TikTok statewide saying it is a danger to the state’s critical infrastructure. We spoke with a few students around Texas Tech campus to get their opinions.

“Your phone could get hacked without you knowing people have access to all that stuff nowadays so you got to watch out,” one Tech student said.

TikTok has been a controversial topic among lawmakers, so much so that many Texas universities have already banned TikTok from state-issued devices and campus wi-fi, but some students say it’s more of an educational app.

“If you can use it as a more educational tool then I think it’s fine.”

Some say they use it as a creative platform.

“However, it does give people a good creative outlet, like different ways to express themselves.”

Other students have even recognized the threats of the app on their own.

“The kind of stuff that the algorithm was feeding me was just really problematic and made me feel bad about myself,” one student said.

“Social media should be restricted for younger ages just because of the dopamine factor and addiction it can affect with the kids.” another student said.

Lawmakers have already started to limit access to the popular app and may begin to lock down the app for good. Each state agency, including each university like Texas Tech, has until the 15th to implement its own policies limiting TikTok’s access to its wireless networks.

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