The US government has been keeping a good eye on TIkTok for the past few years. This is due to concerns about privacy safety. In April, 2024, More than 20 legislators agreed to the shutdown of TikTok. This decision was made after concerns of Chinese spy-ware and the amount of personal data China holds about users. TikTok has been a discussion in Congress for several years, and now they are taking action.
TikTok has been the fastest growing social media platform in the past four years, leading it to become the biggest platform. Early on into TikTok’s lifespan, rumors of suspicious data collection from China has led the app to be investigated by the US government. The scheduled ban happened on January 19th. President elect Donald Trump reversed these effects on January 20th 2025.
Charlie Torbett, a junior at Heritage High School who uses TikTok frequently, was asked a couple questions about the subject. Torbett stated, “I think it’s going to be harsh. I don’t think it’s going to be good, you know, for anyone. I know, me personally, I’m going to switch to Instagram and watch that instead.” Charlie brought up a good point. TikTok has several competitors; this ban may lead these competitors to steal the throne for the most mainstream social media app.
Collin Burns is a junior at Heritage High School. He is known for being a TikTok addict among peers. Collin elaborated on his opinion of the shutdown; “It’s definitely going to have a very big impact in my everyday life among a lot of other people.” Many users spend hours on TikTok leading to a higher percentage of screen time in the US. When asked about his screen time on TikTok he stated, “Three to two hours a day or so would be a good estimate. I mean that’s, a lot, a lot of time on one app.”
TikTok is back open to the public. This ban was a big scare to many people in the US, but it seems like no matter what happens TikTok will always be with us.
