logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
27m 6s

Ban TikTok?

Vox
About this episode

Politicians across the United States are calling for an outright ban on the popular social media platform. Alex Heath, deputy editor at The Verge, explains how TikTok hopes to pre-empt one from ever passing.

This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard with help from Haleema Shah, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained  

Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
Saudi Arabia is no joke
The Riyadh Comedy Festival was billed as “two weeks of laughs in the desert” but has comics asking, “At what cost?” This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Adriene Lilly, and hosted by Noel King. A poster f ... Show More
26 m
Oct 8
Trump deploys the National Guard
The president is attempting to send the National Guard into two American cities for two (seemingly) different reasons with two (for now) different results. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra and Danielle Hewitt, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and K ... Show More
25m 55s
Oct 7
We're in our AI slop era
Meta just dropped Vibes and OpenAI just dropped Sora 2. Both social media platforms are filled with AI videos that warp our sense of reality. This episode was made in collaboration with Vox's Future Perfect. It was produced by Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by ... Show More
26m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Should America Ban TikTok?
This week we’re bringing you the TikTok debate we wish we had from Congress. Featuring perspectives from V Spehar, host of TikTok’s Under the Desk News; Senator Mark Warner, lead sponsor of the RESTRICT Act; and Graham Webster, Chinese technology expert. Over three interviews, Jo ... Show More
1h 27m
Nov 2020
The post-election economy
Emily Stewart joins Dara and Matt to discuss the prospects for Covid relief and Janet Yellen.Resources:"Janet Yellen's mistake" by Matthew Yglesias, Slowboring.com"Electoral politics on an unfair playing field" by Aaron Strauss, Slowboring.comWhite paper Hosts:Matt Yglesias (@mat ... Show More
1h 1m
May 2021
The Queens Speech
Matt Chorley and Times Radio's Chief Political Commentator Tom Newton Dunn analyse the announcements made in the Queen's Speech, and Matt speaks to the head of Care England Martin Green to see what he makes of the announcements about social care reform.  PLUS Times columnists Dan ... Show More
38m 13s
Apr 2022
Watt Strategy?
Government launches its nuclear and wind energy plans... Secunder Kermani hosts today's Newscast. He's joined by the BBC's Alex Forsyth and Emma Pinchbeck, boss of the energy industry’s trade body, to pore over the details.   Meanwhile, there's political chaos in Pakistan (where ... Show More
33m 21s
Dec 2022
Money Talks: TikTok’s ticking time bomb—an episode from our archive
It’s the fastest growing app in the world, filled with dance trends, cats misbehaving, and questionable financial advice. Teenagers love it; Western politicians are less convinced. Could TikTok’s popularity be its downfall? In one of our favourite episodes of 2022, hosts Mike Bir ... Show More
38m 5s
Dec 2022
Money Talks: TikTok’s ticking time bomb—an episode from our archive
It’s the fastest growing app in the world, filled with dance trends, cats misbehaving, and questionable financial advice. Teenagers love it; Western politicians are less convinced. Could TikTok’s popularity be its downfall? In one of our favourite episodes of 2022, hosts Mike Bir ... Show More
38m 5s
Apr 2023
Trans Americans Face Patchwork Of Differing Laws
As many Republican-led states pass legislation restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors and adults, both the Biden administration and the Supreme Court have begun to weigh in. We look at the current state of affairs in Utah, which passed a law on the topic earlier ... Show More
12m 39s
Jul 2022
Money Talks: TikTok’s ticking time bomb
It’s the fastest growing app in the world, filled with dance trends, cats misbehaving, and questionable financial advice. Teenagers love it; Western politicians are less convinced. Could TikTok’s popularity be its downfall? This week, hosts Mike Bird, Alice Fulwood and Soumaya Ke ... Show More
37m 28s
Jul 2022
Money Talks: TikTok’s ticking time bomb
It’s the fastest growing app in the world, filled with dance trends, cats misbehaving, and questionable financial advice. Teenagers love it; Western politicians are less convinced. Could TikTok’s popularity be its downfall? This week, hosts Mike Bird, Alice Fulwood and Soumaya Ke ... Show More
37m 28s