TikTok, the social media video app, can engage students on difficult academic topics or inspire them to steal school fire extinguishers.
But, now, on a much more serious note, the wildly popular platform has become a big national security concern that could get it banned in the United States.
Two-thirds of American teenagers use TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company. One in six teens surveyed by the Pew Research Center say that they are on the platform 鈥渁lmost constantly.鈥�
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There鈥檚 bipartisan legislation pending in Congress that would enable the Biden administration to restrict technology companies from six countries that have adversarial relationships with the United States from doing business in the country: China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. Shou Chew, TikTok鈥檚 CEO, is slated to testify before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23.
Some critics of the movement to ban TikTok argue that when it comes to data collection, student privacy, and influencing U.S. citizens鈥� opinions of their government, TikTok doesn鈥檛 pose any greater threat than American social media companies such as Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.
Schools have a stake in what happens to TikTok, in large part, because it is so popular with teens, but also because plenty of educators are on the platform too. What鈥檚 more, the discussion going on in Washington offers an excellent 鈥渢eachable moment鈥� for talking to students about the risks social media poses and how to navigate them, experts say.
Here鈥檚 what you should know about TikTok, the privacy concerns surrounding it, and the big question of whether educators and students should continue using the platform:
How is TikTok used in schools?
TikTok is a big part of teens鈥� social lives. And about a quarter of students use the app for homework help, according to a survey last year by the online learning platform study.com.
There are a fair number of educators on the app too. In fact, 19 percent of teachers, principals, and district leaders say they are on TikTok more often since Elon Musk鈥檚 purchase of Twitter last year, according to a survey of 1,058 educators conducted in late January and early February by the EdWeek Research Center.
Fans of TikTok say it鈥檚 a good teaching tool. For instance, one school librarian created a TikTok explaining to students how to cite sources in research papers. Teachers have given students the option of creating a TikTok鈥攐r TikTok-style video鈥攖o show their understanding of material covered in class.
Other educators use it to form connections with their students, sometimes making a cameo appearance in student videos. Some school districts have TikTok accounts to share information with families and the public. And a few educators have developed a lucrative side-hustle as TikTok influencers.
Despite this rising use of the platform, more than half of educators鈥�53 percent鈥攚ho use TikTok say they aren鈥檛 aware of their school鈥檚 policies regarding the platform, according to a forthcoming report by researchers at Elon University, the University of the Redlands, and Northern Arizona University. The researchers surveyed 415 educators, reached through social media.
Nearly another quarter said they weren鈥檛 aware of how TikTok makes money; about a third said they weren鈥檛 aware of how their data is used on the platform; and more than 1 of every 5 said they weren鈥檛 aware of ethical challenges for educators associated with use of the platform.
鈥淧articipants admitted at quite high levels that they don鈥檛 understand much about how the sausage is made at TikTok,鈥� said Jeff Carpenter, a professor of education at Elon University, former teacher, and one of the authors of the report. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e using TikTok for professional purposes, but they鈥檙e not really clear on whether their school or school district has policies. They don鈥檛 really understand what TikTok does with their data. It was just kind of an interesting combination.鈥�
What鈥檚 the national security risk with TikTok?
Policymakers worry that users鈥� personal data鈥攏ame, credit card information, even biometric data such as faces and voices鈥攃ould wind up in the hands of the Chinese government, which has broad authority to force Chinese-owned companies to turn over information for national security purposes.
It鈥檚 unclear and potentially troubling how some of the data collected now, particularly the biometrics, could be used in the future, said Amelia Vance, president of the Public Interest Privacy Center, an organization housed at AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
What鈥檚 more, TikTok鈥檚 algorithm suggests videos to users. That could give the platform an avenue to influence an overwhelming number of people鈥檚 views on key issues or suppress videos critical of the Chinese government.
One red flag: ByteDance employees obtained personal data on reporters who had written stories critical of TikTok that relied in part on internal company documents. The employees involved were ultimately fired. .
What should educators on TikTok do in response to security concerns?
It is not necessarily time to get off TikTok, experts said. It鈥檚 fine to ask students to make a TikTok video to demonstrate their understanding of a particular concept, as long as it鈥檚 optional, not a requirement, Vance said.
And school districts don鈥檛 necessarily have to stop using TikTok鈥攐r other platforms鈥攖o communicate with families and their communities.
鈥淥bviously, it鈥檚 positive to reach parents and students where they are,鈥� and many are on social media, Vance said.
It鈥檚 also a good idea for teachers to become familiar with their school or district policies regarding use of the platform, said Joe Harmon, a Pennsylvania social studies teacher who has become something of a TikTok celebrity.
Educators using TikTok as part of their work 鈥渟hould be very cognizant of what their administration allows. Don鈥檛 try to circumvent school policy,鈥� Harmon said in an email. 鈥淒o not film during education time. Don鈥檛 include students in the videos. Don鈥檛 use any information that would reveal private student information whatsoever.鈥�
Harmon, who doesn鈥檛 even reveal the name of the school he works at in his videos, feels he has a responsibility to ensure that anything he puts on the platform is something 鈥淚鈥檇 be comfortable seeing on a bulletin board in Times Square.鈥�
Is TikTok much worse than other social media platforms when it comes to privacy and national security?
Not really, some experts said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a U.S. company, and the U.S. is embroiled in geopolitical political conflict with China, which is a big and meaningful thing,鈥� Carpenter said. But he added, 鈥淚鈥檝e not seen a convincing enough argument that TikTok is so much worse than those other channels that it alone should be banned.鈥�
David Sallay, the director of youth and education policy at the nonprofit Future of Privacy Forum, had a similar take.
鈥淚f I were a school administrator, I鈥檇 be equally concerned about [any] social media platforms teachers are using鈥� if they include student information, he said.
There is also evidence that other social media companies have allowed misinformation to flourish, including Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. In fact, thousands of pages of internal documents showed the company had done extensive research on the negative impact of its social media platforms on children鈥檚 mental health and the spread of false information, but failed to act on any of those findings.
So far, there鈥檚 been no move to ban Meta鈥檚 products, even though the U.S. has more regulatory authority over American-owned companies.
鈥淚f this country is serious about addressing issues of social media, I would like to see them do that with U.S. companies also, that are probably far more impactful on our lives and our data,鈥� said Dan Krutka, an associate professor of social studies education at the University of North Texas and a founder of the Civics of Technology Project.
How can teachers use the debate over TikTok鈥檚 future in class discussions?
The action in Washington and elsewhere is a great opportunity for educators to talk to students about what drives social media, how it impacts their lives as individuals, and its effect on society, said Krutka, a former social studies teacher.
鈥淭his can be an educational moment for everyone,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 here for the critical thinking about TikTok. But just limiting it to one company seems to be misguided.鈥�
