TikTok has been a lifeline for many of us during COVID-19. We’ve watched as our children dance around for hours to master the newest viral dance challenge. Maybe they involved a sibling, a friend or sometimes even a pet. Some of us, while working from home, have unwittingly found ourselves in the background of these videos. In a videoconferencing world, TikTok provides a fun outlet for some much needed “socially distant” socialization.

It turns out that China has been watching all of this unfold with great pleasure. Imagine the fun they’ll have in 10 years, when your son or daughter is in some sensitive corporate or government position, and the only thing standing between them and a promotion is an old TikTok video evidencing horrible judgment and bad coordination. Kids get it. Explain to them that what seems like harmless fun now may actually be something that haunts them the rest of their lives. OK, maybe they don’t get it. But the government understands the risks.