US House Committee Chair Asks TikTok CEO To Answer Questions About Child Safety

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican who wants more security for kids on TikTok. (photo: Twitter @TeamCMR)

JAKARTA - The chair of the US House of Representatives Panel wants the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, to answer questions about the Chinese-owned video app's efforts to protect children from inappropriate content and potential exploitation. Chew will make his first appearance before Congress when he testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23.

Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, said Thursday, March 16 that members of the House "need to know what actions companies are taking to keep our children safe from harm online and offline."

McMorris Rodgers and several Republicans wrote to TikTok last December saying that "many children are being exposed to inappropriate content forced upon them through the TikTok algorithm." They also raised concerns that TikTok's live broadcasts allow adult users to give monetary gifts to children to "entice them to engage in sexually tempting acts."

TikTok, which is owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, said President Joe Biden's administration had threatened to ban the app in the United States if its Chinese owners did not sell their stake in the company.

"The American public deserves to know the extent to which their privacy has been compromised and their data manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikTok's relationship with China," Rodgers added. The US government has expressed concern that TikTok user data may be passed on to the Chinese government.

TikTok, which did not immediately comment, said earlier this month that it was developing a tool that would allow parents to prevent their teens from viewing certain content on the short video app.

TikTok announced a new feature to help users limit the time spent on the app. Accounts belonging to users under the age of 18 will automatically have a one-hour-per-day time limit, and teens will need to enter a passcode to continue using the app.

TikTok and the Biden administration have been negotiating for more than two years over data security requirements. TikTok says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on stringent data security measures and rejects accusations of espionage.