Most US voters support total federal TikTok ban: Poll

Most U.S. voters, 54%, support a nationwide ban on the popular social media app TikTok, according to a new poll that comes as dozens of states have restricted the video platform on government devices. 

Nearly one-third of voters, 32%, say they "somewhat" or "strongly" oppose a mass ban on TikTok and 13% say they are unsure about their thoughts on a ban, but the numbers dramatically change by age group, according to a survey from pollster Scott Rasmussen's firm RMG Research.

When broken down by age, 69% of people over the age of 65, 60% of those aged 55 to 64 and 57% of those aged 45 to 54 are in favor of banning the app, according to a breakdown of the poll from The Daily Signal last week. Meanwhile, 43% of adults under the age of 34 and 38% of those between the ages of 35 to 44 favor a ban. 

TikTok was the only app that most voters, 51%, said posed a "very" or "somewhat serious" threat to the U.S. 

This survey was conducted Dec. 18-19 with 1,000 registered U.S. voters and it has a 3.1% margin of error. 

TikTok is restricted on government devices and networks in 34 states and momentum is growing to ban the app on personal devices. 

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told Congress earlier this year that TikTok and its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance is not an agent of China.

Federal Communications Commission official Brendan Carr previously said the app appears to be sending user biometrics to China, which is closely controlling the app's algorithms. 

A recent Generation Lab survey concluded that "young adults who used TikTok were more likely to hold antisemitic beliefs" as extremist content has been spreading on the platform since Hamas' invasion of Israel on Oct. 7.

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