US military warned about using TikTok to recruit teenagers because pf app’s Chinese owners
- Top Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer wrote to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy urging him to assess potential national security risks
- 60 per cent of TikTok’s 26.5 million monthly active users in US are between 16 and 24
The top Democrat in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, on Tuesday released a letter he wrote to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy raising concerns about the US military’s use of the China-owned TikTok social media platform for recruiting American teenagers.
“While I recognise that the Army must adapt its recruiting techniques in order to attract young Americans to serve, I urge you to assess the potential national security risks posed by China-owned technology companies before choosing to utilise certain platforms,” Schumer wrote in the letter dated November 7.
TikTok, a video app popular with teens and 20-somethings, has grown more popular among US teenagers at a time of mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade and technology transfers.
The company has stressed its independence from China but has failed to calm congressional nerves about security of the personal data of US citizens who use the platform.
About 60 per cent of TikTok’s 26.5 million monthly active users in the United States are between the ages of 16 and 24, the company said this year.