Hoopla is growing over security concerns about the hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok, leaving many of us to wonder whether risks we keep hearing really are legitimate and whether we should delete TikTok from our cellphones.

Many — myself included — routinely entertain ourselves by scrolling through short, often silly, videos depicting things like celebrities line dancing in their kitchens, music videos shot by concertgoers, toddlers mimicking their parents’ colorful language, or the ever-growing assortment of talking dog videos.

My sons find it especially amusing when they stroll by the couch and catch a glimpse of their educated, professional and, yes, old mother chuckling over something stupid she’s watching on TikTok. I respond by quickly pointing out that after a very long day at work dealing with politicians, often complicated news stories and never-ending deadlines, frankly, I deserve a little mindless drivel.

Indeed, the addictive mind-numbing entertainment of TikTok could be described as a pure waste of time. Others might say it’s a nice way to unwind or escape the stresses of your day. I argue it’s a little of both.

Overall, few who use TikTok think they’re doing anything that could be considered even slightly interesting to foreign governments.

But according to Anton Dahbura, executive director of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute, that’s not always the case.

Important U.S. information is not strictly limited to nuclear power plants or military facilities, Dahbura recently pointed out to The Associated Press. It extends to sectors like food processing, finance and universities. So, as concerns rise about China’s infiltration of America’s habits on things like eating, spending, investing and learning, many American businesses and government leaders are considering banning the app.

The battle between the U.S. and China over TikTok was expected to come into full view when the social media platform’s CEO was set to testify before Congress late last week. Shou Zi Chew called this a “pivotal moment” for TikTok, owned by parent company ByteDance, which has offices in Beijing. The platform has 150 million American users, but it’s been dogged by persistent claims that it threatens national security and user privacy, or could be used to promote pro-Beijing propaganda and misinformation. Chew is hoping to persuade lawmakers not to pursue a ban on the app or force its sale to new owners.

In large part, the concern comes because, as the FBI and Federal Communications Commission have warned, ByteDance could share TikTok user data — such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers — with China’s authoritarian government.

Officials fear TikTok would be forced to give it to Beijing under a 2017 law that compels companies to turn over any personal data relevant to China’s national security.

Those concerns around TikTok were heightened in December when ByteDance said it fired four employees who accessed data on journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times while attempting to track down the source of a leaked report about the company.

So, should we be concerned?

Yes, national security experts, FCC and civil liberties groups might have strong arguments about the future of TikTok. But let’s face it, most tech companies capitalize on viewers’ social media practices by gathering data on all of our habits everyday. Undoubtedly, profiles exist for every user of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. (Why do you think digital ads routinely pop up in your social media feed promoting the very products in which you are so interested?)

Still, some social media experts believe demands for a TikTok sale are irrelevant to any national security threats and, in fact, are counter to America’s free-market principles.

There is also the very real possibility that any government attempt to block TikTok could end up in court on grounds that such a move could violate the First Amendment, as some civil liberties groups have argued.

The legal arguments and developments will be very interesting and extremely complicated. Like many Americans and journalists, I’ll be watching closely as it unfolds daily on the national news wire.

And then, if the app does go away, I’ll just have to find a new source of mindless drivel for entertainment when I get home at night.