Child safety must be priority of TikTok negotiations, parents group urges VP Vance
FIRST ON FOX: A group of parents is urging the Trump administration to "make the safety of America’s children a top priority" as the deadline to strike a deal to save TikTok looms.
"TikTok is a breeding ground for harmful content, exposing our kids to videos promoting self-harm, eating disorders, and dangerous so-called viral challenges," Alleigh Marré, executive director of the American Parents Coalition, said in a letter sent to Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday morning.
Marré wrote that the Chinese-owned platform, which has an April 5 deadline for an American buyer to take over the company, regularly promotes "gender and sexuality content to minors" as well as suicidal ideation.
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"This is no accident. TikTok’s design is deliberate. The Chinese-owned algorithm is being used to endanger our children. TikTok’s algorithm preys on vulnerable minds by feeding a steady stream of toxic content, and it often happens without parents realizing it," the letter reads. "In the waning days of your negotiations I ask that you ensure this app has no connection to our country’s primary adversary. We cannot allow an adversary to have power akin to controlling all children’s television programming combined. TikTok cannot be owned, controlled, or influenced by foreign adversaries, and we must not allow those who wish to see our country fail have the power to manipulate and poison our kids."
After an app blackout that lasted roughly 14 hours just days before his inauguration, Trump said he would "save TikTok" through negotiations with American buyers. So far, several high-profile groups are vying to purchase TikTok's U.S. operations, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, investor Kevin O’Leary, and a consortium featuring influencer Jimmy Donaldson, known as "MrBeast," and entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley, the founder of Employer.com.
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Perplexity, an AI firm, has also shown interest. Oracle, TikTok’s current U.S. tech partner, is also considered a top contender. ByteDance could reportedly retain a stake in TikTok, with further investments from U.S. investors like General Atlantic and Susquehanna.
A bipartisan 2024 law gave TikTok nine months to either divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be removed from U.S.-based app stores and hosting services. The Supreme Court weighed in on the ban on Jan. 17, two days before the deadline, declining to strike down the law as unconstitutional.
Trump's attorneys filed an amicus brief in the case in December, urging the Supreme Court to delay any ban until Trump took office. The court did not do so and Trump subsequently issued a 75-day delay on enforcing the ban on Inauguration Day. That delay expires at the end of Saturday.
Of a possible sale of TikTok, Trump said Sunday aboard Air Force One, "We have a lot of potential buyers."
"There’s tremendous interest in TikTok," he told reporters. "The decision is going to be my decision. I’d like to see TikTok remain alive."
Trump's push to save TikTok is at odds with many in his own party, who have introduced legislation in recent years seeking to ban the app over national security concerns.
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There are roughly 170 million active American users on the social media app, the company reported.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and TikTok for comment.