IT'S SHORT FILMED VIDEOS - IS
MAKING HEADLINES ACROSS THE
NATION. FROM VIDEOS GOING
VIRAL...TO LAWMAKERS CONCERNED
ABOUT USER SAFETY.. TIKTOK HAS
A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING.
(*JACLY*)) WE'RE TAKING
A NEWSY APPROACH WITH THIS
SEGMENT BUT WITH KIDS AT HOME
POSSIBLY USING SOCIAL MEDIA
IT'S IMPORTANT AS PARENTS THAT
WE KNOW WHAT OUR CHILDREN ARE
EXPOSED TO IN A SPECIAL REPORT
OUR CRYSTAL MARTINEZ
INTRODUCES US TO TWO LOCAL
TIKTOK INFLUENCERS AND
EXPLAINS WHY SOME U-S LEADERS
WANT YOU TO THINK TWICE BEFORE
DOWNLOADING THE APP.
(*CRYSTA*)) LIFE HAS
CHANGED QUITE A BIT IN THE
PAST YEAR FOR BROTHERS SAM AND
HOOTIE HURLEY.
(*CRYSTA*)) "WHAT GOT
YOU INTO TIK TOK?" HOOTIE
HURLEY, TIK TOKER "THERE'S SO
MUCH NEGATIVITY IN THE WORLD
AND TIK TOK IS AN EASY WAY TO
SPREAD POSITIVITY AND MAKE
ANYBODY SMILE." SAM HURLEY,
TIKTOKER "I CAN POST A VIDEO
OF ME BEING ME AND THAT CAN
HELP SOMEONE WHO'S HAVING A
BAD DAY OR BEING SAD OR
WHATEVER AND I'M SO GRATEFUL
THAT I'M IN THAT POSITION TO
BE ABLE TO DO THAT."
(*CRYSTA*)) TIKTOK IS A
VIDEO SHARING APP WHERE
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE
POST SHORT VIDEOS - LESS THAN
A MINUTE. AND INSIDE THE
HURLEY HOUSEHOLD - IT'S A WAY
TO PASS TIME TOGETHER. KRISTY
HURLEY, MOTHER "IT'S GOOD
FAMILY TIME AND WE JUST ALL
START LAUGHING AND HAVE FUN
WHEN WE DO IT,"
(*CRYSTA*)) COMBINED THE
16-YEAR- OLD AND 20-YEAR-OLD
HAVE MORE THAN THREE MILLION
FOLLOWERS AND OVER 120 MILLION
LIKES - THEIR POPULARITY ON
SOCIAL MEDIA IS CREATING
OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM OUTSIDE
OF THE APP HOOTIE HURLEY, TIK
TOKER "THIS IS A CLOTHING LINE
I MADE IT'S BE HAPPY - BE A
HOOT." SAM HURLEY, TIK TOKER
"I MODEL FOR POLO RALPH LAUREN
NOW WHICH STARTED FROM TIKTOKS
WITH THEM." SAM HURLEY, TIK
TOKER "I HAVE A NEW SONG OUT
IT'S A COVER OF HARRY STYLES
IT'S ADORE YOU - I DID THAT
WITH COLUMBIA RECORDS."
"THOUGH THE APP MAY SEEM
HARMLESS TO IT'S MILLIONS OF
USERS - SOME ARKANSAS STATE
LEADERS LIKE ATTORNEY GENERAL
LESLIE RUTLEDGE ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT WHO MAY BE WATCHING."
LESLIE RUTLEDGE, ATTORNEY
GENERAL "PLEASE REMEMBER THAT
YOU DON'T KNOW WHO HAS ACCESS
TO THIS INFORMATION AND WHAT
THEY CAN BE USING THAT
INFORMATION FOR."
(*CRYSTA*)) RUTLEDGE
TOOK TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO ALERT
PARENTS ABOUT 16 SMARTPHONE
APPS THAT MAY MAKE CHILDREN
VULNERABLE TO ONLINE DANGERS -
INCLUDING CYBERBULLYING AND
HARMFUL INTERNET CHALLENGES.
LESLIE RUTLEDGE, ATTORNEY
GENERAL "BE WARY THAT OTHERS
MAY NOT HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS
IT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT YOU
WANT YOUR 15 SECONDS OF FAME
YOUR 15 SECONDS OF FAME IS NOT
WORTH YOUR LIFE."
(*CRYSTA*)) RUTLEDGE
ISN'T THE ONLY STATE LEADER
CONCERNED ABOUT USER SAFETY.
IN OCTOBER... REPUBLICAN U-S
SENATOR TOM COTTON JOINED
FORCEA WITH NEW YORK
DEMOCRATIC U-S SENATOR CHUCK
SCHUMER TO ALERT THE DIRECTOR
OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE TO
THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT TIKTOK -
WHICH IS OWNED BY A TECH
COMPANY IN CHINA. LESLIE
RUTLEDGE, ATTORNEY GENERAL "I
APPRECIATE SENATOR COTTON
RAISING AWARENESS BECAUSE THIS
COULD BE A NATIONAL SECURITY
ISSUE AS YOU HAVE A FOREIGN
ENTITY, FOREIGN COUNTRY IN
THIS SENSE ACTUALLY GAINING
INFORMATION INTO AMERICAN
LIVES." (*CRYSTA*)) THE
SENATORS QUESTION HOW THE APP
COLLECTS PERSONAL
INFORMATION...CENSORS ITS
CONTENT... AND WHETHER IT
REQUIRED TO ABIDE BY CHINESE
LAW. THEY REFER TO TIKTOK AS
QUOTE "A POTENTIAL
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE THREAT WE
CANNOT IGNORE.
(*CRYSTA*)) TIKTOK HAS
RELEASED SEVERAL STATEMENTS
FOLLOWING THOSE
CLAIMS...SAYING AMERICAN USER
DATA IS STORED IN THE U-S WITH
A BACK UP IN SINGAPORE..
TIKTOK SAYS ITS DATA CENTERS
ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE OF CHINA
AND AREN'T SUBJECT TO CHINESE
LAW OR INFLUENCED BY ANY
FOREIGN GOVERNMENT THE COMPANY
ALSO SAYS IT HAS A TEAM
FOCUSED ON CYBER SECURITY
(*CRYSTA*)) RUTLEDGE
SAYS STILL - YOU HAVE TO THINK
BEFORE YOU POST. LESLIE
RUTLEDGE, ATTORNEY GENERAL
"WHEN YOU UPLOAD VIDEOS OR
INFORMATION ON TIK TOK OR ANY
ONLINE SOURCE THAT YOU DON'T
GIVE AWAY PERSONAL INFORMATION
THAT YOU WOULDN'T WANT THE
WORLD TO SEE."
(*CRYSTA*)) AND THE
HURLEY FAMILY AGREES. HOOTIE
HURLEY, TIK TOKER "I'D ADVISE
EVERYONE ON THE APP TO BE
CAUTIOUS OF WHERE THEY'RE
FILMING THEIR VIDEOS AND WHAT
THEY PUT IN THEIR VIDEOS.
HOOTIE HURLEY, TIK TOKER "YOU
DON'T REALLY WANT MILLIONS OF
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO KNOW
WHERE YOU LIVE OR YOU DON'T
WANT MILLIONS OF MILLIONS
PEOPLE TO KNOW YOUR PHONE
NUMBER." SAM HURLEY, TIK TOKER
"IN SCHOOL MOST SCHOOLS HAVE
THE TALK LIKE ABOUT ONLINE
SAFETY AND ALL THAT - REALLY
LISTEN TO THAT." SAM HURLEY,
TIK TOKER "AND THEN MAYBE ASK
A PARENT BEFORE YOU POST - IS
THIS GOOD? JUST BECAUSE BETTER
TO BE SAFE THAN
(*JASO*)) PARENTS - IF
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ADVICE ON
HOW TO TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT
TIKTOK HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE AND
LOOK FOR THE WEB EXTRA.
(*JASO*)) COMING
UP...GOOD NEWS FOR SPORTS FANS