On January 19th, 2025, the U.S. government banned TikTok for worries about U.S. national security and user privacy. TikTok was unusable for 12 hours, followed by a complete ban in all app stores across America.
TikTok is a social media platform known for dance videos and memes made in 2016. The app was made by Zhang Yiming, a Chinese Internet entrepreneur. In August of 2018 Bytedance, a Chinese internet technology company bought TikTok. About 36% of TikTok’s users are ages 18-24.
Around 2020 TikTok’s users expanded from dance videos and memes, and started using TikTok as a platform to make relatable content, spread news and use their freedom of speech. Topics ranged from true crime, national news, politics, opinions, etc.
In 2020, President Donald Trump proposed a ban of TikTok. He viewed TikTok as a national security threat to the U.S. In August of 2020 he signed an executive order, saying that ByteDance will dispose of the app, but thankfully this order was blocked.
In 2024, President Joe Biden had instructed that TikTok be banned for national security reasons and for his concern that users were potentially having their data collected and shared with the republic of China. After a 9 month battle, the Congress decided to pass the law of banning TikTok.
December of 2024, the U.S. government gave TikTok till January 19th, 2025 to either sell to America or get banned in America. On January 18th, 2025, TikTok was banned in America for 12 hours, following a return of the app, but it was banned in all American app stores.
TikTok users were glad to see it return, but were upset with the fact TikTok was removed from all app stores. TikTok was flooded with videos from upset Americans. Freshman at Lindbergh High School, Kayleigh Covarrubias stated, “Personally, I feel like the government is taking our freedom and freedom of speech”.
Some TikTok users said they don’t mind it being banned. Others say it’s taking away so much good stuff for example, small businesses who use TikTok as a marketing tool, Influencers who rely on TikTok for pay, and people who use TikTok to promote movements such as BLM.
Rosalina Perez, a sophomore at Lindbergh High School, said, “I don’t think the TikTok ban is good because many great things come from and out of TikTok. Things like promoting business, seeing national news, and getting different opinions from people.”
Rosalina Perez also said, “I heard its being banned because its owned by a Chinese company, and that they may be spying on us, but ive also seen the owner of TikTok isn’t even Chinese, he is Singaporean and does not affiliate with China, so I feel that they’re hiding the actual reason of why they want to ban it.”
Recently inaugurated President Donald Trump said he would like for TikTok to make a return, and he’s working with the U.S. government to make that happen. Some TikTok users are a bit confused, seeing that President Donald Trump was the original man to try and have TikTok banned, yet now he’s the one who wants to bring it back.
TikTok is currently under a 170 day extension for it to sell, or be banned. Users plan to move to other platforms if the ban happens. Sophia Pham, sophomore at LHS said, “If it gets banned I’ll move to rednote”, meanwhile sophomore Alexa Lopez-Dupree said, “If TikTok really does get banned, I’ll go to Instagram reels.”
