TikTok, the app that has taken the world by storm and influenced millions of people in the United States alone, went offline on Sunday, January 19th as the ban took effect, but then Trump reinstated it. TikTok has been removed from both Google and Apple app stores, preventing new downloads and updates for existing users, because the reinstatement is only for 75 days and still facing challenging times. I personally am an avid TikTok user and believe that the ban on the app is silly and unnecessary. I don’t usually keep up with the news and the politics in the world, but with TikTok, I am more educated than I ever was before. It is not just the educational side of the app, but the communities that have been built and the online friends that were made that make TikTok so beautiful. It has become a way of life for millions around the world (including me) and banning it will not have the effect that the government thinks.
If you were unaware, TikTok’s parent company is under Chinese ownership. It is a company called ByteDance. TikTok is banned in the United States because of its ownership. The U.S. government is concerned that TikTok could be used to share user data or influence content. This poses a threat to the nation’s security.
NBC Washington summarized the legal and political background. In March of 2024, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill that required ByteDance to dispossess from TikTok; otherwise, the app would face a nationwide ban. President Joe Biden signed this drastic measure into law the following month, in April 2024. TikTok challenged the ban, and the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on January 11, 2025.
Fortunately, there may be hope for the app. Multiple billionaires, including James Stephen “Jimmy” Donaldson (also known as Mr. Beast), Elon Musk, Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, and a couple of others, have discussed possibly buying the app from ByteDance. Many senators supported the idea of postponing the ban that is supposed to go into effect for some time to look further into this case and determine the best course of action.
Millions of users in the United States have spoken out about the ban and voiced their thoughts. This has caused quite a stir in our nation right now. If TikTok gets banned for good, how would that affect the many people who have made a living off the app? What would happen to the people who have created a following and developed their own community on the app?
Only time will tell what happens to our beloved TikTok.
