CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The clock seems to be ticking for the popular social media app TikTok.
As of March 14, a bill going through Congress that could possibly ban TikTok had passed the House of Representatives and was headed to the Senate.
Scripps News
TikTok asks creators for help as bill to ban it moves through Congress
Russell Cassevah loves TikTok.
“TikTok is essential in everything we do with our nonprofit," Cassevah explained.
The Chesapeake resident is the founder of Little Bricks Charity, which uses Legos to help sick kids in hospitals.
“I’ve done the math. We’d be looking at 2,600 kids less this year because of a ban," Cassevah said. "I know that if this does go further, I’m going to have 40 to 50 hours of work added to my plate every single week to remodel our whole entire structure."
News 3 featured him as an Everyday Hero in February. At the time, his TikTok account had more than a million followers.
News 3 Everyday Hero
Chesapeake TikTok star uses power of social media to help sick kids in hospitals
“This is where I let loose," Cassevah said as he wiped away a tear running down his cheek. "This is the place where I connect with my friends, with my community. When you take a massive network of amazing people and you have access to them every single day, 24 hours a day, and you take that away, that is a massive emotional shift."
The bill going through Congress would ban TikTok in the U.S. unless the Chinese company that owns it divests from it.
Thursday, Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark Warner took a few questions from reporters about TikTok.
“The ability for that algorithm that spits out what video you see next could be used as a tremendous propaganda tool for the [Chinese Communist Party]," said Warner.
Scripps News
Lawmakers press DOJ for information on marijuana farms linked to China
News 3 wasn’t able to ask any questions.
Cassevah said his biggest question was what the government will do about the people who are currently making money on TikTok.
Warner noted around 170 million people use TikTok for about 90 minutes each day.
“Are they going to subsidize the income of all these people?" Cassevah asked emphatically.
“There’s a lot of creativity on TikTok and there are a lot of people who are social influencers or make their money off of that. I think that’s all great, and I think that creativity and that platform should be able to continue," said Warner. "It should just not be ultimately controlled by an adversary like the Chinese Communist party."
Warner was looking forward to debating the TikTok bill in the Senate.
“Sen. Rubio and I, my ranking member on the Intelligence Committee, we’ve said we want to support that legislation and get a hearing in the Senate," said Warner. "There may need to be certain changes made."
TikTok was using lobbyists to try to block the bill and posts encouraging users to contact members of Congress have popped up on the app.
