By Sally Vazquez-Castellanos
Republished on September 23, 2025 at 7:02 pm.
In the face of rapid technological advancement, both policymakers and tech companies are dealing with increasingly complex issues concerning the online safety and privacy of children. Global laws and regulations, such as the EU’s AI Act, were implemented to address these challenges.
When considering the plain meaning of recent executive orders as well as the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, we must understand that TikTok’s issues are a national security nightmare for the United States.
TIKTOK and National Security Concerns
In a recent article from Reuters, President Trump’s proposal to have TikTok sell its U.S. interests remains on the table days after the deal was said to be on hold.
TikTok is at the forefront of debate regarding national security and children’s privacy. In recent years, concerns have grown about how the platform handles user data. We have seen executive orders aimed at addressing the collection of sensitive data from American consumers by foreign adversaries, prompting recent presidential directives against TikTok to mitigate the risk to national security and children’s privacy.
TikTok, a widely used app among children and teens is heavily scrutinized for the company’s data collection practices. The U.S. government, under both President Trump and President Biden, has taken steps to limit these concerns, citing the need to protect national security and critical infrastructure and technologies.
President Trump’s Executive Order Issued August 6, 2020
President Trump’s executive order expressly states that there’s a national emergency with respect to critical infrastructure and technologies. The presidential directive addresses the need to secure Information and Communications Technology and Services in the United States. It also deals with mobile apps developed and owned by companies in China that threaten the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States.
The AI Act and Global Perspectives
On a global scale, the EU’s AI Act aims to regulate artificial intelligence technologies, focusing on transparency, accountability, and personal data protection, especially as the ‘internet of things’ increasingly becomes integrated in all of our lives. The use of artificial intelligence without guidelines and regulation, including Google workstations and other smart technologies at schools nationwide, could pose a significant threat to our nation’s children and educational system.
Artificial intelligence regulations are part of a broader effort to safeguard users globally, inspired by important regulations such as privacy and General Data Protection Regulation in the United Kingdom (GDPR). A regulation such as GDPR treats data privacy as a fundamental human right. We have similar constitutional and state law authorities in California such as the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), but under federal law it’s much more complicated.
Conclusion
The intersection of technological innovation and children’s safety online demands ongoing attention and adaptation of a number of laws, policies and practices. We must address national security concerns with platforms like TikTok, which includes the ethical use of artificial intelligence.
Security concerns for our nation, which includes the national economy, also demonstrates a profound need for regulation and policies at the federal level that carefully considers comprehensive regulations like the EU’s AI Act. Meanwhile, stakeholders continue their important work towards providing a safer digital environment for children worldwide.
It's Personal: Children, Privacy, Technology and the Law 