Johan Pehrson is a baby boomer – he wants to ban social media

Johan Pehrson is a baby boomer – he wants to ban social media

February 1, 2025

editorial Editor in Chief

Banning TikTok is not going to do anything. Liberals should know better than to insist on a ban that would make the party look like a bunch of sycophants with bad intentions.

This is a column written by a member of the editorial team.Kristianstadsbladet's political label is liberal.

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Image: Joshua A. Bickel

Advertisement »true»Just because you're getting a little older doesn't mean you have to become an old fart. Or as the young people say, a boomer. Liberal Party leader Johan Persson (born 1968) is actually a little too young to be a baby boomer, those born between 1945 and the early 1960s.

In fact, he is part of the first Generation X – the ironic generation. Irony, or even humor, does not seem to have affected Johan Pehrson, however. On the contrary. It is difficult to imagine anything more bitter, and moreover more ill-considered, than proposing a ban on the TikTok app.

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viewBox= »none »>« M17.727 6c2.874 0 5.21 2.308 5.273 5.18v.26a7.72 7.72 0 0 1-2.242 5.307A7.64 7.64 0 0 1 15.478 19h-.138v-.79a6.83 6.83 0 0 0 5.265-2.465 5.26 5.26 0 0 1-6.733-.808 5.31 5.31 0 0 1-1.35-4.56 5.3 5.3 0 0 1 .968-2.243 5.3 5.3 0 0 1 1,865-1,569 5.26 5.26 0 0 1 2.368-.561zM6.282 6c2.874 0 5.214 2.308 5.277 5.18v.26a7.72 7.72 0 0 1-2.245 5.307A7.65 7.65 0 0 1 4.032 19H3.9v-.79a6.84 6.84 0 0 0 5.265-2.465 5.26 5.26 0 0 1-6.734-.809 5.31 5.31 0 0 1-1.348-4.562 5.3 5.3 0 0 1 .969-2.243 5.3 5.3 0 0 1 1.866-1.567 5.26 5.26 0 0 1 2.369-.56z » Irony, or even humor, does not seem to have touched Johan Pehrson, however.

In a statement the other day (

>TV4 28/1″https://www.tv4.se/artikel/2FKQrGykbB06vm4bNNC4Cb/johan-pehrson-l-om-tiktok-en-koettkvarn-pa-ungas-hjaernor”), the leader of the liberal party declared that Tiktok “is a meat grinder for the brains of young people”.

It is of course true that it is good to sit in front of a screen for hours and fill your brain with short clips. But first, it is not just Tiktok that offers this type of content, it is present almost everywhere on the web. This is something that the Liberals and their party leaders, who often happily post clips on >Instagram Reels »https://www.instagram.com/johanpehrsonl/reels/ »should probably know. Second, it is clearly problematic that TikTok is owned by a Chinese company and that the Chinese state therefore has the right to demand information. But a ban on TikTok in Sweden would hardly solve this problem. During the hours that the app was banned in the US, dozens of Americans joined another Chinese app that offers the same format. Something similar will probably happen in Sweden if Johan Pehrson wins his case.

Thirdly

We must not forget that on Tiktok there is also content that opens the eyes of young people to the world. Politics and social debate exist in parallel with makeup tips and dancing. Entrepreneurs find customers and create businesses. Just like other social media, Tiktok brings people together, creates understanding and builds a community. If we want young people to socialize more in the physical world or say no to China-related products, it is up to the adult world to set a good example. Desperate bans will get you nowhere. This should be on the mind of every liberal. Even baby boomers.

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