‘TikTok Is Built Like an Indoctrination Machine’: GOP Senator Sounds Alarm on App’s Impact on American Youth

Sen. Jim Risch’s letter to the FTC calls for action against TikTok’s potential influence on American youth and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The letter highlights concerns about data privacy and the app’s role in spreading CCP propaganda, urging prompt response and safeguarding measures.

The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone on Feb. 28, 2023. Matt Slocum/AP Photo

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) has asked the Federal Trade Commission to explain what it is doing to prevent adolescent TikTok users from being exposed to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda and the app’s problematic data procedures.

In a July 31 letter (pdf) to FTC Chair Lina Khan on Monday, Risch, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, labeled the Beijing-backed social network “the perfect storm for concern” with respect to its impact on American youth.