On Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, Governor Greg Abbott proposed a state ban on the social media platform TikTok from state-issued government devices, becoming the most recent United States (U.S.) governor to target the Chinese video-sharing application.

Across the U.S., recent cybersecurity threats have been raised as concerns by Republican governors, such as Kristi Noem, government of South Dakota, and Larry Hogan, governor of Maryland. According to National Public Radio (NPR), these concerns sprout from the basis that a Chinese company owns TikTok and therefore is susceptible to influence or control by the Chinese government.

“The security risks associated with the use of TikTok on devices used to conduct the important business of our state must not be underestimated or ignored,” Abbott said in a statement.

Abbott’s model security plan outlines the following goals:

– Enforce the ban on downloading and using TikTok on any state-issued devices such as cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other devices capable of internet connectivity. 

– Forbid employees or contractors from regulating government-issued business on prohibited personal devices with the TikTok application.

– Recognize sensitive information within government agency locations that could be exposed to personal devices with TikTok. Personal devices with TikTok will be banned from usage in these sensitive areas.

– Implement internet-based restrictions to prevent using devices with TikTok in government agencies.

In regard to the student body at IHS, teenagers, who are ages 13 to 18, make up more than 67 percent of TikTok users, according to a 2022 study by the Pew Research Center (PRC).

Within IHS, some students believe that TikTok benefits their education, helping them learn and entertain themselves through streams of in-app content.

“Personally, I believe that TikTok shouldn’t be banned because it’s a learning platform among students in Texas, and I also think that it’s also a good form of entertainment for a lot of young adults,” said Akshara Bade, IHS junior. 

For some, the possibility of the ban brings into question the emotional impact of TikTok on individuals. 

“A lot of people like me have confided in TikTok as an app that people can use as an outlet to escape during stressful times at school,” said Nameer Khan, IHS junior. “It helps me feel more like a teenager because it gives me a community I would not have found otherwise.”

Amidst public opinion, Abbott announced that state agencies will have until Feb. 15, 2023, to implement the new security plan to ban TikTok. 

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) will work alongside Abbott to “guide state agencies on managing personal and state-issued devices used to conduct state business” in order to implement the plan by Feb. 15.