Nearly two-thirds will turn more to YouTube or Instagram if TikTok is banned
DENVER, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A new study by Group RFZ, a digital measurement firm that focuses on the influencer marketing space, found that 51% of U.S. TikTok users are unaware of the ban that is set to go into effect in early 2025 and, of those aware of the ban, 62% could not correctly identify what the TikTok law actually entails. Of those familiar with the details, more than one-third said they would use social media less frequently if TikTok is banned.
In April, President Biden signed a bill that will ban TikTok in the United States beginning in January 2025 unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the platform. Approximately 170 million TikTok users would be impacted by the ban, which forces app stores to remove TikTok in the United States, preventing ByteDance from supporting the app and providing users with app updates.
Although the ban is imminent, the majority of American TikTok users are unaware of it and even those familiar with it are not clear on the details. When asked, 50% of respondents identified the ban incorrectly, while 38% of people identified it correctly and 12% said they are unsure of what it entails.
Support Varies, with Women More Opposed
Group RFZ found there's conflicted support for the ban, with the majority against it – 48% strongly oppose the ban if the app isn't sold, while 17% somewhat oppose it and only 21% support it. Women are less supportive of the ban (53% strongly oppose vs. 41% of men) and less likely to use other apps more if it is banned. The primary reasons respondents oppose the ban are that it would hinder freedom of speech, would be a government overstep and would impact businesses that use it for promotion.
News and Presidential Election Come into Play
Even though the ban was signed into law, there's still a lot of doubt about it actually going into effect, with 43% believing it is unlikely, compared to 36% who believe it is likely and 20% who are unsure.
Those who closely follow the news believe the ban is very likely to take effect versus those who are not following the news – 21% compared to 4%. What's more, 39% contend the ban is more inclined to happen if Donald Trump is elected president as opposed to 27% who feel the same if Kamala Harris is elected.
Ban Would Reduce Social Media Usage
A TikTok ban has the potential to significantly impact how much Americans use social media. The survey revealed that 37% of people would use social media less if TikTok were banned domestically, and that jumps to 42% among women and 46% among 18–24 year olds.
Where will 170 Million Users Go?
Surprisingly, 42% of respondents said they would use TikTok the same amount, even though it wouldn't be supported or updated – perhaps due to confusion about the details of the ban.
That said, YouTube is clearly the place where TikTok users would migrate in the event the ban moves forward – 46% said they would use YouTube more, 39% said Instagram, 38% said YouTube Shorts, 30% said Facebook and 23% said they would up their use of X/Twitter.
"It's surprising that more TikTok users said they'd use YouTube more, despite the fact that Instagram developed a direct competitor in Reels. This underscores the degree to which users still view Instagram and TikTok as fundamentally different platforms, with discovery as the key differentiator," said Group RFZ Co-founder Jonathan Futa. "YouTube, the algorithmic forebearer of video discovery, seemingly better encapsulates the features that people like in TikTok because it learns interest and makes recommendations based on content interactions, while Instagram is still considered a platform for friends and family to chat and share."
Security, Anti-Chinese Sentiment Viewed as Main Ban Instigators
Once everyone in the survey was educated about the law, they gave varying reasons as to why they believed the law was passed. While national security was cited as the main motive for almost half of the respondents, 26% believed the primary reason was anti-Chinese sentiment and another 25% cited politics or economic reasons.
Quantifying the Social Media Problem
Experts contend that some facets of TikTok, including its algorithms, make it more addictive than other social media apps, leading to heightened concern about its security risks. This seemed to play out in the survey results, which found that 13% of TikTok users admit being addicted to social media and one-third said that they are on it too much.
The full report can be found at https://www.grouprfz.com/tiktokban
Methodology
Group RFZ conducted online interviews with 800 Americans, ages 18 and older, who use TikTok at least five times a week. The survey was fielded from Sept. 9-19, 2024. The margin of error on the entire data set is +/-3% at the 95% confidence interval.
About Group RFZ
Group RFZ is a digital measurement firm that enables clients to understand and demonstrate the impact of their influencer, social and content marketing. Its measurement solutions help leading companies go beyond traditional metrics and capture the true impact of their digital initiatives – how they made consumers feel, the impression they left and the effect on the brand. Utilizing a unique blend of market research and adtech, Group RFZ empowers clients to achieve and demonstrate ROI, make smarter decisions and optimize their efforts. Group RFZ is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Find them online at www.grouprfz.com.
Media Contact
Rebecca Scanlan, Group RFZ, 1 303-733-0328, rscanlan@akamaipr.com, https://www.grouprfz.com
SOURCE Group RFZ
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