While I think there might be some merit in banning TikTok, the only trouble with this is that it will be totally unenforceable short of checking everyone's cell phones, phone by phone. And, if that was to happen, there would be serious Constitutional violations that went along with checking people's private phones.
Here is an article, and one of the things that can make it very troubling as far as enforcement................
TikTok facing growing calls from some US lawmakers to ban the app nationwide over concerns about potential Chinese government influence over the platform.
www.reuters.com
Montana will make it unlawful for Google and Apple's app stores to offer TikTok within the state, but will not impose any penalties on individuals using the app. The ban is to take effect Jan. 1, 2024, and is almost certain to face legal challenges.
So.....................while they can make it unlawful for internet providers to offer the app within the state, how are they going to stop it? Simply stop phones and computers with a Montana area code from accessing it? Simple to overcome, all a person would have to do is go buy a phone in another state, and they will continue to be able to access TikTok. Most cell phones can be used no matter where you are in the country, and many can do so without any roaming charges. I know that a friend of mine sent me their old smart phone (I didn't have one at the time), which was bought in SC, and I used it for over a year in TX. The phone number was based in SC, but the bill came to me in TX. There are lots of people right now who bought their phone in one state and for whatever reason are using it in another.
The only way a TikTok ban would be effective is to have it banned in all 50 states, over the whole country, and even then, it's questionable if it could be enforced.
Same thing with guns by the way..................in states where they have strict gun rules, people who want them simply drive to another state, purchase them, and bring them back to wherever they live. Same with black market guns. They buy them in quantity in one state, take them to the place where it is hard to get them, and sell them for a profit.
Bans like what Montana wants to do with TikTok will NOT work on a state by state basis. All states (and the country) need to impose the ban, otherwise it won't work since we can freely travel from state to state without any restrictions and get stuff in one state and bring it back to another.