TikTok seeks to defend its impact on children before the US Congress.

TikTok, the social network that in September declared to have one billion active users and is very popular among the youngest, appears for the first time this Tuesday in the United States Congress to defend its impact on children.

The video-sharing platform, a subsidiary of Chinese group ByteDance, was convened by a Senate panel, along with Snapchat and YouTube, to discuss the influence they have on their millions of followers.

While social media giant Facebook, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, is on the table for reports that it knew its sites could have a negative impact on teenagers, other large platforms also grapple with security concerns.

“TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube all play an important role in exposing children to harmful content,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, audience co-chair.

Although 13 is the official minimum age to participate in most social networks, both TikTok and YouTube have versions for younger children.

Michael Beckerman, head of Public Policy for TikTok in the Americas, assured the AFP before his appearance that the company “cares deeply for the safety and well-being of minors.”

Already popular before the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to its choreography to pop songs that went viral, TikTok gained a large new following amid school closings and telecommuting.

The ByteDance subsidiary, whose Chinese equivalent is called Douyin, nevertheless remains far behind YouTube, which claimed 2.3 billion monthly active users in 2020.

Facebook, including its co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has testified several times before US lawmakers and is facing one of its worst crises following the media leak of internal reports arguing that the company prioritizes its growth and profits over the safety of people.

However, Facebook has been affected before by scandals that did not translate into new US legislation aimed at regulating social media. (I)