Local TikTok Creator Discusses Possible U.S. App Ban

A bill that could potentially ban the popular social media app TikTok is going through Congress.

With the uncertain future of TikTok, one local creator says the ban would affect her platform.

Peyton Galyean is an OU meteorology student, and she makes TikTok videos about severe weather threats across the country. She films her videos from inside her closet in front of green-screened graphics depicting weather patterns and facts.

“I’m constantly learning different ways to adapt because not everyone sits down and watches the news every single day,” Galyean said.

She says her TikTok career took off about a year ago.

“The first one I posted that went viral was last year when Norman got hit by the EF-2 tornado,” she explained.

It all started with a simple catchphrase.

“I knew for people to watch a video you have to have a hook, so I was like ‘Are you in any of these shaded regions?’”

Her videos explaining severe weather threats across the country have garnered millions of likes and views-- as well as almost 150,000 followers.

“They trust me in a way, which I don’t take lightly,” she said.

But all of that hard work might disappear.

“For me, it’s losing a platform,” Galyean said. “But for some, it means losing their business, it means losing a huge chunk of their life.”

And for viewers of accounts like Peyton's, it means losing the chance to gain knowledge.

“You can learn so much in under two minutes,” Galyean said. “Not just from my page, but there are so many creators who put good out there.”

The bill passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.