GOP Lawmakers Call To Ban TikTok After Bin Laden’s Letter to America Went Viral

(ConservativeSense.com) – GOP lawmakers have revived their call for a nationwide ban on TikTok. The Chinese video-sharing app has long been a source of disquiet among conservative politicians who believe it is collecting data on American social media use and is utilized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to spread anti-American messages to young people in the US. Many experts furthermore believe it is causing immense harm to youth mental health.

The latest call was prompted by the distribution of a “Letter to America,” written by Osama Bin Laden in 2002, which went viral on the platform. The letter accuses the United States of supporting “Israeli oppression of the Palestinians” and “occupation” in the Middle East. After the letter won the sympathy of young Americans, Republican lawmakers expressed outrage.

Sen. Josh Hawley simply said, “We should ban it,” while Sen. Tom Cotton added, “It’s outrageous that Chinese Communist Party-controlled TikTok is pushing terrorist propaganda on American kids.”

The “Letter to America” describes the creation of Israel as one of “the greatest crimes” and says the American public paid the taxes that fund the offenses against the Muslim world committed by the US and Israel. “This is why the American people cannot be innocent of all the crimes committed by Americans and Jews against us,” the letter states.

The sentiments are popular among what some believe to be an ever more anti-American youth. Surveys reveal that younger Americans are increasingly turning against the nation and, correspondingly, are more likely to empathize with its enemies.

For example, a YouGov poll found that only 54% of high school students are proud of America, compared to 94% of people over 73. The same survey found that vast numbers of young people believe America is a racist country.

The letter first appeared on the website of the left-wing British paper The Guardian. It spread primarily among young people on TikTok, with many expressing sympathy with Bin Laden and the 9/11 terror attacks.