About three in five, or 60% of surveyed Americans view TikTok as a threat to national security, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center released Monday.
Of the 5,101 US adults surveyed, nearly two-thirds, or 64%, said they are “very or somewhat concerned” about the video-sharing app’s data use practices, per the report.
About one in five respondents said they don’t see the app — which had 150 million American users as of March — as posing a threat to national security.
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According to the report, Republicans and older Americans were more likely to view TikTok as a threat. Of the Republican and Republican-leaning respondents, 70% perceived TikTok as a national security threat, compared to 53% of the Democratic and Democratic-leaning respondents.
In terms of age, about two-thirds of respondents aged 65 and above saw TikTok as a national security threat, compared to 49% for those between 18 and 29 years old.
The Pew Research Center conducted the survey in mid-May, just as Montana became the first US state to ban the app. TikTok is currently challenging the ban in court.
Since 2020, lawmakers have been trying to restrict the use of TikTok in the US, Insider previously reported.
Over half of US state governments have imposed some form of ban over the use of TikTok on government devices. Here’s a list of the states that have imposed full or partial TikTok bans on government devices, compiled by Insider’s Sawdah Bhaimiya.
A separate Pew study released back in March showed that 50% of Americans supported banning the TikTok app. Only 22% of those surveyed said they were against imposing such a ban.
Part of the reason why efforts to ban TikTok have gained momentum despite the app’s immense popularity are concerns that go beyond data privacy and the app’s ties to China.
During TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s appearance before Congress, child safety and teenage mental health were prominent themes cited by lawmakers’ while critiquing the app.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
