HARRISBURG, Pa. — POV: You use TikTok, and so does your governor, even as your legislature considers banning the app on state-owned devices and networks.
Efforts to ban TikTok over security concerns about China’s influence through the platform have gained steam in state legislatures over the past year, with a comprehensive ban even proposed by Congress. In Pennsylvania, forward movement on a bill that first passed the Senate unanimously last year could send legislation to the Democratic governor’s desk in short order.
But even as the app is investigated and banned, governors and government agencies — and even President Joe Biden — are still using it to promote their initiatives and expand their voting offerings. Their goal is the voice of young people, or the people who largely make up the US user base of 170 million people.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, is a prolific poster, with his efforts on the campaign trail beginning through a personal account. The first-termer is a rising star in the Democratic Party and is among governors building national profiles and potentially positioning themselves for a run for the White House in 2028.
His careful reporting extends to his official governor’s account on TikTok. Videos, all colored by his priorities and positions, have him participating in viral trends, breaking down aspects of his budget proposal and even taking a closer look at Texas via a Beyoncé song.
Other governors are using TikTok accounts — among verified accounts, only Democrats — even in states that have banned the app from state devices and networks.
It’s not surprising that politicians use TikTok so often, says Anupam Chander, visiting scholar at the Institute for Rebooting Social Media at Harvard University. What’s even more surprising is that they don’t.
Such reach has its roots in President Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats, when Depression-era Americans would gather around the radio to hear his voice. More recently, social media has taken action in elections, such as former President Barack Obama on Facebook in 2008, or former President Donald Trump on Twitter, now X, in 2016.
“This is an app that can be very personal. You can share your walk to the Senate chambers or share your joy when a vote passes. Or your disappointment when a vote fails,” he said. “This is a way to reach people in a very personal way.”
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made early and, well, liberal use of TikTok during his campaign, with one young Republican saying his social media presence “made him popular.”
“Many younger voters seem receptive to candidates like Ramaswamy because of his young age and the agenda of the new generation,” Victoria Carlson, a spokesperson for the George Washington University College Republicans, told CBS News in September.
In Michigan, the app was banned from government devices in March 2023 — with certain exceptions, such as Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s promotional account, which has brought adorable dog videos, her March Madness bracket and news about her initiatives to her roughly 245,000 followers.
In New Jersey, a government-affiliated app posts jokes and memes. An exception in New Jersey law banning TikTok on government devices allows posts from out-of-state networks, with permission. Other government accounts across the country have touted their state parks to boost tourism, events and small businesses.
In Pennsylvania, there’s Shapiro and his steaming “Get S—t Done” mug of tea — a nod to his sharp catchphrase — or slightly shaky footage as he records himself thanking teachers as his kids head back to school. In a play on the popular “point of view” videos in which creators set up a scenario, Shapiro makes a worried face with the overlay text “POV: When extremists try to stop legal votes from counting.”
“The governor believes, and this administration believes, that there should be no wrong door to get into government,” said Manuel Bonder, Shapiro’s spokesman.
TikTok is part of that landscape, he said. The government has a phone dedicated solely to making TikToks, with no state Wi-Fi, and no other apps on it, Bonder said.
A TikTok spokesperson declined to be named regarding legislation banning the app.
In 2022, researchers found more than 100 accounts of those running for Congress. The majority were Democrats, said Maggie Macdonald, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Kentucky.
“It seems like Democrats are having this debate exclusively in terms of having an account and talking about banning it,” she said.