Users push back against potential ban on video sharing app

"I'm a husband and a father to three beautiful, adopted kids in Oklahoma. Every day, I use Tik-Tok to share the love of my family and our journey through foster care and adoption, and through that I've been able to create such a wonderful community of people from all over the world. A TikTok ban takes away everything that we have all built together. The support networks, the allies, the friends, the safe space, the people we turn to when we need advice, all of that gone overnight."

"I became disabled because of a car accident. Today, I'm the CEO and founder of a disability advocacy organization called Diversability that I started in 2009. It wasn't until I downloaded TikTok in March 2020 that my advocacy really took off, 11 years after I'd started doing disability advocacy work. So Congress, I urge you to consider the impact that a ban on TikTok would have on advocates like myself. TikTok has provided us with a powerful tool to raise awareness, promote inclusion and change the world."

"This country has not always been the most fair or equal for black and brown individuals. In the social media space, these issues are no different. Thankfully, TikTok has cultivated a safe space that has allowed black and brown people in the community to share knowledge and tips on entrepreneurship and share ways that we can use our influence to cultivate change in ways we never have before."

"I'm from South Carolina. I'm the founder of Sparks of Joy Co, a greeting card company. I launched my business on TikTok in the summer of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic and the midst of COVID quarantine. I have sold over 35,000 cards through my website, but 95 percent of those orders come from TikTok followers. A ban would erase a source of income for millions of small business owners across America."

"I'm a self-taught cake artist from Georgia. Creating art has always been a passion of mine. And through the platform, I've been able to channel that creativity and take my baking creations to a much wider audience than I ever thought could be possible. TikTok does not just give me exposure, it has allowed me to increase my income by several hundred percent and this extra income has allowed me to support myself, build a studio and pay staff. So I urge you (the Congress) to consider the impact that banning TikTok could have on people like me. It will not only take away a source of income, but it will also stifle creativity and prevent talented individuals from sharing their art with the world."