TikTok, the beloved short-form video platform, is facing a major setback as multiple public universities across the US have taken the drastic step of banning it on their campuses. Students, faculty members, staff, and even visitors will no longer have access to the app on school devices or the campus WiFi network. At least 20 public universities have either banned TikTok or advised their students to remove it from their personal devices.

The reason behind this widespread ban is the pressure from state lawmakers, some of whom have even passed laws forbidding the usage of TikTok on state-owned devices. Prominent universities such as Auburn University, University of Oklahoma, University of Texas-Austin, and Texas A&M – the largest college campus in the US – are among the growing list of institutions to enforce this ban.

This move has sparked debate and disappointment among students and TikTok enthusiasts, who rely on the app as a source of entertainment and creative expression.

Nevertheless, it is crucial for universities to prioritize the safety and security of their networks and devices, which has led to this widespread ban on TikTok.

To understand the impact of TikTok on society and its users, Real Research, an online survey app, launched a survey on several universities banning TikTok in the U.S. to gather insights into the question of why TikTok is being banned. With responses from a diverse group of TikTok users, we aim to shed light on its safety and public usage.

Highlights

  • 55.37% of respondents use TikTok
  • 32.6% find the restriction justified
  • Nearly 50% of respondents (49.03%) are aware of American universities banning TikTok

The results of our analysis on the potential and ethical allegations against TikTok have uncovered a diverse range of themes. To provide a clearer understanding, we have depicted the key findings in a graphical format in Figure 1. This representation showcases the level of awareness and frequency of the various themes that emerged from the data.

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Figure 1: Most respondents aware of universities banning TikTok in the U.S.

Figure 1 shows us that 49.03% of respondents are well aware of universities banning TikTok in the U.S., 30.8% said the same but with limited knowledge, and 20.17% remained unaware.

Despite TikTok’s privacy concerns and data collection, 8.22% found the ban highly unjustified, and 17.11% somewhat unjustified. In contrast, 32.6% found it highly justifiable, 31.67% somewhat justified, and 10.4% remained uncertain.

We Know It’s Banned Under University Networks– But Why?

According to research, TikTok was alleged to have privacy concerns– meaning– the Chinese government had full access to data and control over TikTok, censorship and content moderation, misinformation, failure to meet American privacy standards, etc.

The following survey asked to share what aspects of TikTok’s allegations made the ban justifiable. Results revealed that 24.05% report possible threats to user welfare and well-being (24.05%), followed by data privacy concerns (20.12%), national security reasons (15.14%), the spread of misinformation (14.27%), and the misuse of user data (12.46%).

In addition, we asked among these which of the following respondents found to be the most concerning allegations. The results are as follows:

The majority report sharing of users’ data with the Chinese government and other parties (18.67%), national security threats (18.37%), misuse of users’ data by third parties without any consent (18.27%), the massive collection of user data (15.63%), and potential security vulnerabilities (13.86%).

Is TikTok Safe To Use Despite Privacy Concerns?

With the recent research pointing to the negative impacts of TikTok and its concerns, respondents were asked to share their views on TikTok despite these concerns.

44.08% said it was very safe to use, 20.74% said moderately safe, 14.6% said slightly safe, and 20.58% said not at all.

In figure 2, our analysis shows that among the respondents, 42.89% would stop using TikTok if proven guilty, 24.14% said probably, 12.73% said probably not, 8.66% said definitely not, and 11.58% remained unsure.

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Figure 2: The majority has decided to cease using TikTok if proven the truth

Furthermore, the following poll (figure 3) shows the usage of TikTok alternatives. Instagram (23.37%), Likee (10.22%), VideoShow (10.09%), Clash (5.8%), Triller (5.72%), Cheez (5.7%), Vigo Video (5.69%), etc.

Read Also: Over 47% Said TikTok Has the Most Variety of Short-form Videos

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Figure 3: Usage of TikTok alternatives

Lastly, the survey found that 55.37% of the respondents use TikTok, compared to 44.63% who don’t. Among these respondents, 27.16% consume TikTok often, 23.09% occasionally, 17.99% rarely, and 11.55% don’t use it anymore.

Methodology

Survey TitleSurvey on Universities Banning TikTok
DurationJanuary 23 – Janaury 30, 2023
Number of Participants10,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.