By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – The House of Representatives passed a bill early Wednesday morning that could ban the social media application TikTok.

The bill received widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans. However, some feel the ban could destroy their business.

Democratic Congressman Eric Sorensen said the move by lawmakers is not a ban but instead forces Bytedance, the app’s owner, to keep data in the United States.

“There are Americans that are invested in TikTok. (This bill) just makes sure that (Bytedance) will become an American company somehow, or there will be more ramifications because we have to make sure a bad actor like China does not have the ability to especially influence the upcoming election.”

In 2019, Walmart announced a plan to purchase 7.5% of the social media application. However, the deal has yet to be completed.

Locally, Unit 5 Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle believes there will always be a new app no matter what happens on Capitol Hill.

“I think the reality is this is our current world, so we need to work with our students, work with our stakeholders, and how do we teach students to use it responsibly? I don’t see it going away regardless of what the name of the social media is.”

The bill now heads to the Senate, where the future is yet to be determined.

If the Senate passes the bill, it will head to President Biden’s desk for approval.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].