Thousands of TikTok users are calling members of Congress to demand they vote against a bill that could ban the app because of its ties to China.
Capitol aides say children, some crying and others in classrooms, are calling their offices and ringing phones, fearing their favorite social media platform is at risk.
Staff members of the Energy and Commerce Committee say people of all ages called throughout the morning expressing concerns about the law that would force owner ByteDance to divest from TikTok.
A TikTok spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the notification was only supposed to be aimed at users over 18 years of age.
Others were surprised that so many “grown men” called in and were accused of being “racist” in supporting the bipartisan bill.
Some callers simply hang up as soon as they receive a response, and are only concerned about accessing the app.
Republicans say the flurry of calls is due to TikTok pressuring its users. Some see an alert in the app with an option to call their local member of Congress, based on the ZIP code they are in.
Republicans say flood of calls is due to TikTok pressuring its users
China select committee leaders are pushing a bipartisan bill that would force state-affiliated ByteDance to sell its TikTok shares or else the popular video-sharing platform would be banned.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress in January
“They are endless,” an Energy and Commerce member employee told DailyMail.com. The four lines have been ringing non-stop. Many children call from schools and also many more adult men than I expected.
“They hit us very hard until 12:30 today,” said another E&C attendant.
“We’ve had little kids in classrooms (teachers and other students can be heard in the background) calling just so they can access the app,” said another assistant to an E&C member.
‘Some adults called and said they use the app to look at “women.” One person said banning TikTok is “racist.”
“Most are unaware of the China connection and are receptive when we tell them the facts,” the employee added.
The calls came as the Energy and Commerce Committee held a rare classified hearing on TikTok threats before introducing a new bill that would force Chinese state-affiliated ByteDance to divest TikTok or else , would be banned in the US.
The bill already has the support of both President Biden and Chairman Mike Johnson, and passed the Energy and Commerce Committee 50-0 on Thursday.
“TikTok will do everything it can, including manipulating and exploiting American users, to prevent CCP-controlled ByteDance from being banned in the United States,” Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said on X.
Despite Biden’s support for the new bill, his campaign is on TikTok under the name ‘BidenHQ.’
The House China Select Committee on China, which introduced the bill, accused CCP officials of using TikTok to spy on the locations of American users and dictate its algorithm for conducting influence campaigns, making it a threat to national security.
The Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act would specifically designate ByteDance and TikTok as apps controlled by foreign adversaries.
If approved, ByteDance would have five months after the law is signed to divest from TikTok. If not, app stores and web hosting platforms will not be able to distribute it in the US.
“First of all, if you didn’t think TikTok would engage in malicious behavior before today, you shouldn’t think so anymore,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said on X, referring to the phone-call operation.
‘Second, China is not like the United States. China can force companies to do whatever the government wants, including handing over data and weaponizing social media platforms for potentially the most far-reaching psychological warfare operation in history.
Nearly 20 Republicans and Democrats have been working on the proposed law for more than a year, said the China committee’s top representative, Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., adding that the committee met with industry specialists and national security interests. while drafting the legislation.
Krishnamoorthi warned that senior PCC officials have ties to senior ByteDance executives
The bill would also expand the scope of the president’s general powers to ban apps controlled by foreign adversaries, excluding those affiliated with China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
In a statement, TikTok said of the committee that passed the bill: “This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a complete ban on TikTok in the United States.” The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free speech. This will harm millions of businesses, deny audiences to artists, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.
The committee responded, with several members reminding reporters that the bill does not ban the app entirely.
“This bill is not a ban and it’s not really about TikTok,” Krishnamoorthi said.