[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 187 (Monday, October 25, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7333-S7334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Social Media

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, last week, a Tennessee director of 
schools named Russell sent me an email about a problem he is having 
with some of his students. The so-called devious lick TikTok trend 
caught on in his district, and it is more than just a viral gag. The 
idea behind this devious lick TikTok trend is to destroy school 
property and document it on TikTok so that all the world can see--the 
more violent, the better.
  Here is how Russell described what is going on in his schools:

       In Cleveland City Schools, we have seen fire extinguishers 
     stolen, mirrors removed from walls, a toilet was removed from 
     its foundation, and multiple other acts of vandalism. I know 
     of stories from other school districts, where even more 
     serious types of vandalism and theft have taken place.

  He went on to tell me that this trend has caused thousands of dollars 
in damage, and that he has had to resort to threatening suspensions, 
court citations and other actions to deter students from demolishing 
school property--all from a TikTok video trend.
  I want to state for the record that this is absolutely insane. This 
is not normal teenage behavior. It is criminal activity, and these kids 
are posting it online thinking that they are building social media 
clout.
  TikTok banned the trending hashtag, but last night, it took a member 
of my staff about 10 seconds to unearth posts featuring students 
trashing their school bathrooms.
  Russell is at a loss as to how to get his students to stop body 
slamming doors off their hinges, and so are thousands of parents all 
across Tennessee who are wondering how it is even possible that a tech 
company is getting away with encouraging criminal behavior in its 
underage users.
  They want more than just an apology and a tweak to an algorithm. They 
are looking for accountability, and I am happy to say that we at the 
Senate Commerce Committee are working to get that accountability from 
these Big Tech companies.
  The issue of Big Tech's toxic influence on children and teens is 
finally getting some much-needed bipartisan attention from the Senate. 
Earlier this month, I hosted a hearing in the Commerce Committee's 
Consumer Protection Subcommittee with Chairman Blumenthal, where we 
examined Facebook's role in promoting content to teenagers that drove 
young users into spirals of despair, eating disorders, self-harm, and 
suicidal thoughts.
  Now, our ideas about what Congress should do to force accountability 
into the equation might differ a bit, but maybe for the first time 
ever, the relationship between Republicans and Democratic tech 
watchdogs in this Chamber is far less contentious than the relationship 
between Big Tech and Members of Congress. And, Madam President, that is 
something worth noting.
  If we keep this up, Silicon Valley, as they currently operate, is in 
for some big changes because, as much as I appreciate our role as 
lawmakers, I also believe in the importance of our ability to compel 
transparency from officials and companies that refuse to offer it up 
voluntarily. Sunlight is often a better disinfectant than legislation.
  Fortunately, at least some players in tech are reading the writing on 
the wall. Tomorrow, representatives from YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok 
will testify before the Consumer Protection Subcommittee regarding 
safety protocols they have inserted between underage users and the 
seediest corners of the internet. Yes, I did say ``underage users.''
  I want to thank them in advance for agreeing to appear because we are 
not going to take it easy on them. They should not expect a comfortable 
day. We have evidence that these platforms have endangered children and 
teens while collecting--yes, collecting--their personal data and 
leveraging it through the advertising side of their businesses. The 
danger is real.
  As we were preparing for the hearing, my staff hopped on YouTube and 
searched for ``how to slit your wrists,'' and the videos YouTube spit 
out--well, let's just say that any questions about how to do such a 
thing were answered in full, unfortunately.
  Earlier this year, a 9-year-old boy in Memphis died trying to 
participate in a TikTok ``strangulation challenge'' that had gone 
viral.
  And we know for a fact that child predators use Snapchat to troll for 
victims. This spring, law enforcement arrested a 48-year-old man for 
statutory rape after they caught him with a 16-year-old girl.
  Where did he meet her?
  On Snapchat.
  We also have serious questions about data collection and disclosure 
policies and whether or not the market research tactics that are used 
by YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok are as invasive and dangerous as the 
ones that we now know Facebook uses.
  As the saying goes, if the service is free, you are the product. And 
if we let them, tech companies will continue grooming our kids into 
accepting status as commodities and being their product, regardless of 
who it hurts.
  Big Tech's relationship with children is a problem, but we also need 
adult tech enthusiasts to care about their own entanglements with these 
companies. We need everyone to care about how their own ``virtual you'' 
is harvested and sold to the highest bidder.
  Many adult users believe that, because they have lived so much of 
their lives online, these things don't matter anymore. But, yes, 
indeed, it does matter, and I will give you just one example of why.
  For a long time now, we have raised serious concerns about the 
connection

[[Page S7334]]

between TikTok and the Chinese Communist Party. We suspect, with very 
good reason, that ByteDance, which is TikTok's parent company, handed 
over biometrics and other sensitive user data to the Chinese Communist 
Party. This app has been Beijing's very best detective, a fact most 
users aren't aware of and don't want to give a second thought to.
  Parents are completely unaware that TikTok is owned by ByteDance and 
that they are in cahoots with the Chinese Communist Party. Parents are 
unaware that the biometrics and other sensitive data of their precious 
children is now in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.
  Madam President, we just cannot afford to continue this. This one app 
on its own is a master class on artificial intelligence, machine 
learning, and facial recognition technology, and our most dangerous 
competitor is using it to corner the market on the world's most 
valuable commodity: the virtual you.
  It is all part of Beijing's grand strategy to gain control over 
strategically important sectors of the global economy. Yes, indeed, 
they intend to be globally dominant by the time we get to the midpoint 
of the century; and, yes, indeed, they are an adversary.
  We see them carrying out more of this agenda via the Belt and Road 
Initiative programs. And they are doing it online by training us to 
consume content that is so twisted that it drives young users to 
violence and to self-destructive behavior.
  Interconnectivity has benefits and consequences, and, Madam 
President, it is an urgent need to take action against the 
consequences. We know from previous investigations that digital content 
is a weapon. It can damage self-esteem, destroy relationships, and tip 
the balance of global power in the wrong direction.
  I hear from Tennesseans like Russell regularly. They will say: We saw 
this coming a mile away. We have watched this become a snowball rolling 
toward us.
  They are appreciative that Congress has finally caught up to them--
parents and teachers who are watching what is happening on social 
media--and they are ready for us to pull all those Big Tech skeletons 
out of the closet and put them on display.
  I will say this: These teachers and parents are not people who are 
anti-innovation. They don't want to get in the way of private companies 
offering exciting new products. They appreciate interconnectivity, and 
they appreciate technology. But what they won't do is tolerate these 
companies--tolerate them trolling the data of our children, selling it 
as a product, and then turning around and weaponizing the content 
against us, the American people.
  Big Tech needs to understand that we are not going to hold back, and 
it would be in their best interest to work with us on the issues of 
online privacy, children's online privacy, data security, and make the 
virtual space a safe space.
  Thank you, Madam President.
  I yield the floor.

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