January 19, 2025. A date many content creators and consumers of digital media alike dreaded as it marked the supposed ban of social media app TikTok in the United States. Although the fear started in 2020, the ban hasn’t been finalized until this year as result of strewn out political policies. As the days tick by, people are anxious about what this means for the future of many Americans. Though, the ban was lifted promptly after it was put into place.
“I think it’s kind of stupid that Tiktok is even getting banned,and how everybody’s making it a really big deal,” senior Sarrah Sodawala said.
TikTok has served as a means of income for roughly 1 million people who use the app in various ways. The app advertises small businesses, provides quick exposure for art and news alike, it has offered community and connected people with thousands of miles between them. Not only that, but it offers a destresser at the end of a long day. Indulging in easy access to your favorite media, content creator or any other service TikTok provides. Aside from the mind numbing videos TikTok has given, it has also allowed for people in dangerous or otherwise unhealthy living situations to seek out help. Remarkably, many have flourished after going viral and have received life altering aid as a result. However, people still feel that it is harmful to American Citizens.
“Take [an] influencer, for example, they make a living on Tiktok,” Sodawala said. “Without TikTok, they’re basically nothing.”
The United States has expressed its worries about a foreign company having access to the American citizens’ media in fear that valuable data and personal information could fall into the hands of the wrong people. However, according to CNN, the fear is nothing more than speculation and rising tensions the United States has with China.
“To date, there is no public evidence that Beijing has actually harvested TikTok’s commercial data for intelligence or other purposes,” reporter for CNN Brian Fung said.
The ban took place on January 18, 2025. However, the ban lasted less than 24 hours when it was then restored by the current U.S. President Donald Trump as he came into office. The app seems to be working the same as it did previously, though some people who deleted the app can no longer access it through the app store.
“For iPhone users, those searching for TikTok see a notice reading, ‘TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in the country or region you’re in,’” Chad Murphy of The Columbus Dispatch said. “Now, iPhones with Tiktok still installed on the device are selling for thousands of dollars on Ebay.”
During the ban, virtual private networks, or VPN’s, were unsuccessful in allowing people in the U.S to use the app, and many flocked to instagram reels to keep their minds occupied in the absences of TikTok. As Americans were booted from the app, reports of people in other countries were reported to be making fun of users unable to gain access to the app.
“I’m not going to change my VPN just because an app is being banned,” senior Srinidhi Prabhala said.
As the app resurfaced coinciding with President Trump coming into office, consumers flocked back to the app in order to catch up with the few hours of missed entertainment. Some sang praise to President Trump, others expressed their embarrassment at how dramatic the whole situation had been and the part they played in heartfelt goodbyes to the app.
With the return of the app, it seems as though order has been restored within the Tiktok community. Some crawl back to their accounts, while others grieve their loss of the app, unable to download it. However, in the end, time keeps on ticking.
“It advocates for a lot of issues and stuff, like women’s rights and stuff. I usually see a lot of those on Tiktok, not really instagram,” Prabhala said.
