People aren't confident that members of Congress know how to use TikTok

Young people are calling cap on congress.

On Thursday, members of congress grilled the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, for safety and security concerns associated with the social media platform.

However, throughout the almost five-hour-long hearing, it became clear that some congressional members weren’t too familiar with the app.

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“Does TikTok access the home WiFi network?” Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) asked.

Befuddled, Chew responded, “only if the user turns on the WiFi,” before explaining that in order to access the internet, the user would have to turn on the WiFi.

When Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA) asked Chew whether TikTok collects biometrical data, he was left visibly confused by his response that it did not. Chew did, however, note that it needed to know where people’s eyes are to place filters correctly.

Carter followed up his question with, “Why do you need to know where the eyes are if you’re not seeing if they’re dilated?”

Representative Carter clearly had difficulty understanding some of the nuances of TikTok, including the NyQuil Chicken Challenge.

On social media, young people responded to the congressional members’ questions, with frustration.

“Watching the TikTok CEO testify before congress is f***ing painful to watch because once again we’re allowing people who are completely unqualitifed to ask the dumbest questions known to man. They can barely work their iPhones why are we doing this again,” a Twitter user wrote.

The congressional hearing for the House Energy and Commerce Committee was part of a potential TikTok ban for its ties to China and potential harm to children.

Lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned that China could be spying on Americans by collecting large amounts of data through TikTok.

Several states have already banned government employees from downloading the app on their phones.

On TikTok, user @_danyul_, made a video explaining his frustrations with the congressional members’ questions.

“I have beef with our congressmen and women because these people already have their minds made up,” the TikToker said. “These people don’t know how to use their phones they don’t know how filters work.”

He went on to explain that lawmakers are blaming TikTok for “bad parenting” and “mental health issues.”

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