On Jan. 18, the popular mobile app TikTok was banned in the United States.
The reason for the ban cited by Congress members is the risk that TikTok would jeopardize national security. Senior Daniel Yaya, who spends about eight hours per week on TikTok, said, “I believe the app was banned because of concerns the government had over TikTok’s connection to China and how that impacts the safety of the personal data and information of American users.”
Chinese parent company ByteDance created the platform in September 2016. but TikTok’s fight to exist in the U.S. didn’t begin until July 2020 when President Donald Trump considered banning TikTok due to China’s mishandling of the COVID pandemic. According to the Associated Press, a month later, Trump issued an executive order declaring that ByteDance should divest itself from TikTok’s U.S. operations. Once President Joe Biden was elected, he postponed the pending legal cases regarding Trump’s plan in February 2021. In April 2024, a bill that would either result in the ban of TikTok or force its sale to a U.S. company passed Congress and was signed by Biden.
On Jan. 17, the Supreme Court upheld the federal law to ban TikTok if it was not sold to a US company. On Jan. 18, TikTok prevented users from watching videos, presenting them with a message that said, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
However, this ban was short-lived. Around 12 hours after TikTok went offline in the U.S., a new message popped up: “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.” Senior Cayla Schwartz, who spends about 14 hours per week on TikTok, said, “When I saw this message, I thought about the political impact that could come from such a message, and the fact that he was specifically mentioned made me think of the relationship between the TikTok CEO and Trump.”
The US government has credited national security for the fight against TikTok, but students say they think it may be due to other reasons. Senior Josie Spicer, who also spends about 14 hours per week on TikTok, said, “I think it was banned because our generation is so sensitive, and people care too much about the wrong things.”
Other students thought there was something else at play. Schwartz said, “I think it was banned mostly as a publicity stunt because the same person who planted the seeds to ban it allowed it to come back right after he became president.”
TikTok is one of the most popular apps in the US right now. Students say they felt like TikTok should have been left alone. “I was so upset. I felt like my rights were being taken away. There are so many other explicit apps that banning wasn’t even ever discussed. I was just confused about what was so bad about TikTok,” Spicer said.
Other students were relieved when they thought TikTok was banned. Schwartz said, “When I saw TikTok was banned, I was pretty thankful because I’ve been aware that I’ve had somewhat of an addiction to the app a few days before the ban. I actually put TikTok in the hidden section of my apps, which resulted in me frequenting it for less than one hour a day.”
The future of TikTok in the U.S. remains unknown. Trump has extended the deadline for TikTok to sell to a U.S. company before they face another ban, and students say they think that it will not be banned again at all. Spicer said, “No, I don’t [think it will be banned again]. Especially with President Trump in office, I think that this case is definitely closed. If there were still a chance for it to get banned, then it would have already happened.”
Although it takes up a good portion of their time each day, students seem to want TikTok to stay. “I hope for the future that TikTok continues the path that it’s on, but I want to see fewer TikTok Shop ads. However, I appreciate the financial support this provides to many creators on the app,” Schwartz said.
