For the last two weeks, Anita Schnapp, an OB-GYN who's been practicing for 20 years, has gone where she never thought she would: She went to TikTok.
"I had a couple of patients who sent me clips saying, 'Ooh, you could do something like this,'" she said.
On the app, she's known as Gyno On the Go, and she focuses on dismantling misinformation about reproductive health. She's already been getting engagement, but it's not only with the teens and young women she thought her audience would be made of.
"I'm getting questions about menopause. I posted one video about menopause and that's been the one that's generated questions. So clearly, it's not teenagers, so that's been a surprise," said Dr. Schnapp.
"This platform and TikTok and the reach that my business has on this platform has kept my business open," said Emily Swift, owner of Darkslide Film Lab.
While Dr. Schnapp uses the platform for information, others, like Swift, say the reach possible through the app has turned into real, life-changing money for their business.
"We were ... almost failing when we had a video go on to reach over 4 million viewers and that changed everything for my small business," said Swift.
Now, the bill that could lead to the app's American demise heads to the Senate, where lawmakers will debate whether to force its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app or face banishment in the United States.
Proponents cite security reasons and preventing the information of 170 million America users getting in the hands of the Chinese communist party.
However, Swift thinks a change in the ownership of TikTok will hurt small businesses like hers.
"There's no bias with the current ownership as far as I'm concerned, but I fear if it gets into the hands of a U.S.-based company there might be the introduction of more biases that work in favor of the government," said Swift.
Schapp plans to continue her mission as Gyno on the Go whether TikTok sticks around or not, and isn't too worried about what comes next.
"Information is at our fingertips. And if we can't get it through TikTok, something will come along. There will be a TikTok 2.0," she said.
SEE MORE: Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin creating group to buy TikTok
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com
