LAKELAND, Fla. — A bill that could ban the popular social media platform TikTok in the United States is making its way through the House of Representatives.

What You Need To Know

  • A House committee unanimously passed a bill that would ban TikTok in the United States 

  • The bill, if passed and signed into law, would require TikTok's owner to divest from the platform or it would not be accessible in the country

  • A local TikTok influencer in Florida with nearly 2 million followers says it feels like there’s competition from other domestic social media companies behind the move to try and ban the platform

  • Lawmakers who support the bill have argued that China could require the company to share American user’s data with the government, though the company denies that possibility

On Thursday, a House committee unanimously approved the bill that requires the platform’s owner, ByteDance, to divest TikTok or it would be banned in the country.

While it’s certainly gaining traction in the legislature, local influencers are concerned about what that would mean for their following on the app.

While some videos may seem simple, Travis Settineri, who goes by Travis Doodles on TikTok, says producing them is not.

“If it's a quick interaction, it could take, you know, three or four hours to edit,” he said. “But if it's like a day with multiple angles and multiple things going on, I mean, it could take eight hours, 10 hours to edit certain videos.”

Settineri runs a nonprofit called Worth and Purpose where he uses funds to help spread kindness and generosity around Polk County, while also garnering nearly 2 million followers on TikTok.

Settineri has garnered media coverage before — including stories about his close friend, Rhonda, who, through Settineri’s nonprofit, has gotten her RV refurbished and has become a sort of internet celebrity for people that watch his videos.

“It brings millions of people together. Thousands of people come together and donate to change people's lives,” Settineri said. “There's a lot of negative on there, but I'm doing nothing but positive and good content trying to change the world in that way.”

According to Settineri, that awareness could change if this platform is banned in the U.S.

“There are people that watch me on TikTok who don't watch me on YouTube,” he said. “So, they're either going to just stop watching or they're going to come over to YouTube. But there's no way it's going to be a 100% transition.”

While he has a solid following on other platforms like YouTube — nearly 4 million subscribers there — his videos are primarily for TikTok.

Settineri said it feels like there’s competition from other domestic social media companies behind the move to try to ban the platform, along with concern over China’s involvement.

“All the legislative stuff, it's kind of vague and I don't really understand it,” he said. “I mean, I feel like if you read the fine print on every social media platform, you probably wouldn't sign up.”

Lawmakers who support the bill have argued that China could require the company to share American user’s data with the government, though the company denies that is a possibility.

Settineri argues privacy is already tough to come by online.

“If your stuff's out on the internet, I feel like your privacy is gone, period,” he said.

In the end, Settineri said nothing will stop him from doing the philanthropic work he does through his nonprofit and his social media following.

If TikTok ends up being banned, he said he'll still find ways to spread his message of kindness to whoever gives him a follow.

Aside from his following on TikTok and YouTube, Settineri also has about 691,000 followers on Instagram.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday, that the bill to ban TikTok is “an important, bipartisan measure to take on China … which is actively undermining our economy and security.”