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TIKTOK can be considered a search engine

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TIKTOK can be considered a search engine

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"On TikTok, I can search what restaurants to go to, I can see what people ate and their reaction to the food," says Beckford, 27, who's visiting the British territory in the Caribbean this week. "I can see what they're wearing, what the weather's like."

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In recent weeks more than a dozen US states and the US House of Representatives have banned TikTok from government devices.

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In recent weeks more than a dozen US states and the US House of Representatives have banned TikTok from government devices.

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Beckford's devotion to TikTok illustrates why US lawmakers and others, who view the platform as a security threat because of its parent company's roots in China, will have a challenge trying to scrub it from Americans' digital lives.

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But with more than 1 billion global users. TikTok may be too entrenched in our culture to be shut down.

It's become a critical tool for content creators, small business owners and many others who have made TikTok an integral part of their lives；Brands consider TikTok key to social media marketing, she says, and many consider the size of creators' followings and their engagement numbers when signing promotional deals. Sykes says. "Banning TikTok will cause a huge job loss for creators who depend solely on TikTok for their livelihood, and will have a devastating impact on small businesses that use it for marketing and sales." ;It's entertaining and catchy, so it works in getting people's attention in a short period of time," Gonzalez tells CNN.

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"If TikTok were to go away, it would remove one of the free sources of joy, connection and entertainment still available to anyone, anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection," Ferraz adds. "However, it would also remove access to a platform known to create space for bullying and illicit activities for Gen Z."

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For example, public health experts have used TikTok to convey important messages during the coronavirus pandemic. The White House has even hosted TikTok influencers for briefings on the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other pressing topics. But researchers found TikTok's search engine has spread misinformation about the pandemic, abortion, school shootings and other topics. And while TikTok provides resources on mental health, Shahin says it and other social media platforms can heighten attention deficiency, anxiety and depression. “TikTok has changed some aspects of our lives negatively ... it has shortened our attention span and allows for the proliferation of misinformation," says Christina Ferraz, founder of Houston-based public relations agency Thirty6five.

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PRO TIKTOK: Many entrepreneurs use TikTok to boost their businesses

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PRO TIKTOK: Many entrepreneurs use TikTok to boost their businesses

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Calvert, who's in his 30s, earns income by posting travel videos and other content to TikTok. He says he earned his first TikTok payment from a Black History Month partnership.

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Khamyra Sykes, 16, shares short comedy skits and lifestyle content with her 560,000 TikTok followers. She uses the platform to make money by partnering with clothing brands and doing political ads – like a get-out-and-vote clip for the recent midterm election.

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Saman MovassaghiGonzalez, an immigration attorney in Miramar, Florida, uses TikTok to market her law practice to her 83,000 followers.

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Experts say TikTok can be highly addictive

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Experts say TikTok can be highly addictive

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"While most social media apps tend to be addictive, none is more so than TikTok," Shahin says. "Every day, users spend an average of an hour and a half on TikTok, which is nearly double the average time spent on Facebook or Instagram."

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This popularity, experts say, can be a double-edged sword. 

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This popularity, experts say, can be a double-edged sword. 