What to know about the app’s possible ban in the U.S. [Video]

U.S. lawmakers have approved legislation banning TikTok if its parent company doesn’t sell the popular social media platform.

The legislation, which was included in a package of bills that would send aid to Ukraine and Israel, was signed into law by President Joe Biden on April 24.

Here’s what to know about TikTok, and why it is more controversial than other social media platforms.

What’s TikTok?

The Encyclopedia Britannica describes TikTok as a “social media platform designed for creating, editing, and sharing short videos between 15 seconds and three minutes in length.” It also describes it as a separate version of Douyin, a Chinese app that has the same basic functionality but includes content of interest to the Chinese public.

On ByteDance’s website, both Douyin and TikTok are listed as among the company’s list of products. Both apps also use the same icon.

TikTok says ByteDance was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs and is currently a privately held global company that’s not controlled by any government or state entity.

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