Charlotte teacher against TikTok ban, uses app to teach millions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - With 3.1 million followers and counting, a viral Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools science lab teacher uses TikTok to reach beyond the classroom, posting short clips of her science experiments and lesson ideas.

Now she is fighting against the argument to shut down the platform, with the social media app in the hot seat in Washington.

Related: Gap grows between TikTok users, lawmakers on potential ban

Lawmakers want to ban TikTok over concerns about its ties to a Chinese company and national security threats. Nancy Bullard says her support for TikTok comes from an educational perspective.

She started using TikTok to reach her students during the height of the pandemic and never thought her videos would go viral.

Bullard, better known online as @Mrs.b.tv, is not only teaching science on TikTok but advocating to save the app from being banned.

When it comes to education, she believes there would be a negative impact.

“Number one, we’re going to overall have a less educated America. TikTok has become an incredibly effective tool to organize and educate, especially young people,” Bullard said.

She believes banning the app would cut resources for parents, grandparents and students, not just her classroom at Huntingtowne Farms Elementary School in Charlotte, but millions on the app.

“Keeping TikTok means we get to continue learning on this platform. parents can continue to access resources for their children,” Bullard said.

Meanwhile, lawmakers like Sen. Ted Budd believe it’s a risk for the country.

“It’s a massive threat to us as a country. It’s essentially a spying device masked as social media,” Budd said during an On Your Side Tonight interview. “I would love for Congress to pass some comprehensive data privacy laws. This is not new in social media world; Facebook, Google, they’ve been selling our data to data brokers for years.”

Along with data security issues, the teacher believes Congress can address the mental health of children and social media by investing money into that area.

“I don’t think banning one app is going to solve all of the problems that are being discussed in Congress right now,” said Bullard.

WBTV reached out to Budd’s office Monday about his stance on the teacher using the app and if his stance changed after the hearing last week.

Statement from Senator Ted Budd:

“I certainly applaud teachers who use innovative new technology to help their students learn and grow, but TikTok is a spy app for the Chinese Communist Party. Children and their parents should not have their data mined and exploited by a foreign power. Last week’s hearing further confirmed why there is a bipartisan consensus that TikTok should be banned for the sake of America’s national security.”

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