Communications Firm Urges Texas and Virginia to Reconsider TikTok Restrictions for Local Governments

CiviSocial urges Texas and Virginia to review TikTok restrictions, arguing local governments are losing access to millions of residents.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, UNITED STATES, June 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- "This isn't a left-right issue. It's a whether-residents-hear-from-their-government issue."

That's the message CiviSocial delivered today in letters sent simultaneously to Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, urging both administrations to reconsider statewide restrictions that prevent local governments from maintaining official TikTok accounts.

The communications strategy firm argues that while cybersecurity concerns remain important, dramatic changes in both TikTok's governance and Americans' media consumption warrant a fresh review of policies that leave cities and counties unable to communicate through one of the nation's largest public information platforms.

"We're writing to a Republican governor and a Democratic governor on the same day with the same message," said Sam Toles, Founder and CEO of CiviSocial. "The world has changed. Local governments should have the ability to decide how best to communicate with the residents they serve."

Americans Have Changed How They Consume Information

According to cross-screen media consumption data aggregated from Nielsen, Comscore, GWI, and the FCC (December 2025–May 2026), Americans under 55 spend 1.48 billion hours every month on TikTok: more than Facebook or Instagram individually, and more than every broadcast and cable television network combined!

Pew Research reports that:
20% of U.S. adults regularly receive news from TikTok
43% of adults ages 18–29 regularly get news from TikTok

"Whether discussing hurricane evacuations, boil-water notices, police recruitment, or public meetings, local governments increasingly need to communicate where residents already consume information," Toles said.

The Letters Make Different Arguments to Different Governors; the Intersection is Local Control

The letter to Governor Abbott emphasizes public safety, workforce recruitment, emergency and communications.
The letter to Governor Spanberger focuses on civic participation, reaching younger residents, and expanding access to government information.
It also notes that Governor Spanberger's own 2025 gubernatorial campaign maintained an active TikTok presence.

"If TikTok is an appropriate place for candidates to communicate with Virginians, it is worth reconsidering whether local governments should likewise be permitted to communicate with those same Virginians through official public accounts," the Virginia letter states.

The Issue Isn't TikTok. It's Local Government.

CiviSocial says the debate should not center on one platform.

Instead, it asks whether states should prescribe a single communications strategy for every city and county, regardless of how residents consume information.
The firm argues that current restrictions have had the unintended consequence of concentrating official government communications on older social media platforms while limiting local governments' ability to engage younger residents through short-form video.

"Local governments don't use social media to entertain," Toles said. "They use it to recruit police officers, explain road projects, announce elections, issue emergency alerts, and build trust. The question isn't whether social media is perfect. It's whether local governments should have the flexibility to communicate where their own communities already are."

The full text of both letters is available upon request to sam@civisocial.com

Sam Toles
CiviSocial
sam@civisocial.com
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