Jonathan Haidt is a New York University professor and the author of "The Anxious Generation."Roy Rochlin/Getty ImagesThe Chinese equivalent of TikTok is less harmful to young users than TikTok, Jonathan Haidt said.The author of "The Anxious Generation" spoke to Business Insider at the World Economic Forum in Davos.He compared letting TikTok operate in the US to letting the Soviet Union own US media during the Cold War.The Chinese equivalent of TikTok is less harmful to young people than TikTok, a leading social-media expert said."TikTok is severely damaging children in the Western world, whereas the version in China is very different and is much more pro-social and is not damaging their generation," said Jonathan Haidt, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business and the author of "The Anxious Generation."He made the comments in an interview with Business Insider at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.Jonathan Haidt and BI's Spriha Srivastava at the World Economic Forum in Davos.BITikTok does not operate in China, where consumers can use the Douyin app.