TikTok ban bill favored by slim majority of Americans, poll finds

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FILE-In this photo illustration, logos of TikTok are displayed on mobile phone screen and computer screen in 2023. (Photo by Cem Genco/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The growing debate over a ban on TikTok in the U.S. is only favored slightly by some people.

A recent poll from Quinnipiac University shows that 47% of Americans oppose a national ban of the social media platform, while 41% support it.

The poll finds that a slight majority of voters (51%) support legislation recently approved by The House of Representatives meant to ban TikTok in the U.S. compared to 40% opposed to this legislation.

However, the majority of younger Americans aren’t in favor of the bill. Among respondents 18 to 34 years old, 60% oppose the legislation while 35% support the bill.

When asked if there was a concern about a possible foreign government having access to users’ information on TikTok most voters said they were either very concerned (45%) or somewhat concerned (29%), while a smaller group said they were either not very concerned (12%) or not concerned at all (11%).

For respondents 18 to 34 years old, a majority are either very concerned (20%) or somewhat concerned (33%) about possible foreign government access to TikTok user information, but others expressed little concern (30%) or no concern (18%).

Quinnipiac conducted its poll from March 21-25 through telephone interviews, including both cellphones and landlines. The survey included 1,569 U.S. adults and reports a margin of error of 2.5%.

Earlier this month, the House passed a bill to ban TikTok on March 13, requiring the Chinese firm ByteDance to divest TikTok and other applications it owns within six months of the bill’s enactment, or those apps would be banned.

Legislators claim that ByteDance has an obligation to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S. any time it wants. The worry stems from a set of Chinese national security laws that compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering.

The Senate now also needs to pass the measure for it to become law, and lawmakers in that chamber indicated it would undergo a thorough review.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he'll have to consult with relevant committee chairs to determine the bill's path, and President Joe Biden has said if Congress passes the measure, he will sign it.

This story was reported from Washington, D.C.