Many of you have heard the news by now: The popular app TikTok that millions of people use everyday is getting banned. US officials and lawmakers accused the popular app of being linked to the Chinese government. The U.S. Justice Department stated that because this app has access to data on millions of American users, it poses a national-security threat. In April 2024, congress passed a law banning the app unless it was sold by its Chinese parent company Bytedance to an American-owned company. After TikTok filed a lawsuit, the ban was upheld by the federal appeals court and, ultimately, the supreme court on January 17. The app went dark on January 18 ahead of the expected ban on January 19. Due to an executive order from President Donald Trump on January 19, the app is safe for now, but only until April 4 if Bytedance and the government have more time to come to an agreement.
HHS Senior Tricia Kwapong felt like the TikTok ban would be good for the younger generation because they are so addicted to their technology. She believes that they are too enveloped to see the world around them. “I hope they hurry up with the ban. I’m tired of TikTok,” she said. Another senior, Jazlin Cabrera, is on the side of high schoolers that oppose the ban. Cabrera said, “The Tiktok ban is gonna affect a lot of us as highschoolers.”
With the TikTok ban looming over their heads, users are searching for many different ways to stay entertained once the app was finally gone. One of the main apps that American users were looking towards was RedNote, a very prominent social media platform with a direct link to China. Many also planned on using Instagram Reels or Youtube Shorts, with some people even trying to change their location to China in their phone settings and buy Chinese phones just to use TikTok. Other users report turning to streaming services like Netflix and binge-watching shows during the app’s break in service.
When Tiktok’s services were temporarily suspended on January 18 at approximately 10:30 p.m., users experienced a preview of a tik tok-free life, if the tik tok ban is enacted on April 4. When users tried to open the app, they were met with a message saying “We regret that a U.S. law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. We’re working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned.”
In response, many used humor as a way to cope through the devastating ban of their favorite app, saying things like “Time to start going outside,” or having funerals for the app. However, their dejection was short-lived as the next day at 12:00 pm, TikTok began restoring their services. Users would now open the app to a message stating, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, Tiktok is back in the U.S.!” The sudden return of the app caused many questions to arise. Why did the ban only last 12 hours? Why did President Trump, who previously took actions to ban it back in 2020, act in favor of it? What now? Will the CEO actually sell the application? Will TikTok get banned again? The entire situation has users questioning the legitimacy of the ban, the power of the government, and whether TikTok is here to stay or not.