In a recent interview with PBS, Burns was asked about his recommendation to people regarding their kids' usage of TikTok.

"I'd be really careful," he replied.

When asked if he would add anything more, Burns responded, "No, really careful." He said it was "genuinely troubling" how the Chinese government is able to manipulate TikTok.

"Because the parent company of TikTok is a Chinese company, the Chinese government is able to insist upon extracting the private data of a lot of TikTok users in this country, and also to shape the content of what goes on to TikTok as well to suit the interests of the Chinese leadership. I think those are real challenges and a source of real concern," he said.

In a recent interview with Fox News, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) called for banning TikTok, arguing that the app exposes minors to "violent, depraved, degrading sexual material," and body image issues for young girls. This is the kind of stuff that Beijing would "never" let Chinese teenagers watch. TikTok is also a risk to data security and privacy, he noted.

Tiktok's algorithm is programmed in such a way that the app displays different content, and recommendations, for Americans compared to Chinese users.