Following months of discourse on the subject, the popular Generation Z social media and content creation platform, TikTok, temporarily became unavailable to users Saturday, January 18 due to the impending ban of the app. Once the ban was enacted, users promptly received an error message entitled “Important update from TikTok” stating, “We regret to inform you 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.”
The ban originally surfaced due to concerns about security, as lawmakers and Americans alike held fears over data monitoring from the Chinese government. TikTok collects numerous types of data including account information, location, Internet Protocol (IP) address, search history and message/video content. Additionally, TikTok has proven extremely addictive to users with its programming to release endorphins to users’ brains as they swipe through videos. The app also contributes to the growing rates of political polarization, with users receiving constant reinforcement of their beliefs and barely receiving exposure to any alternative viewpoints due to algorithms.
“I think that would’ve been good to ban TikTok because I personally know a lot of people who spend the majority of their time doom scrolling TikTok and not really doing anything productive in their day-to-day life. I also feel like TikTok is a huge vessel for echo chambers because of the whole algorithm of the For You Page, if you keep liking certain videos, you’ll keep getting certain videos and it can lead to people being stuck in a hole,” magnet senior Laila Sain said.
Soon after the release of the original message, the note changed to state, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Donald Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.” A multitude of users noticed the sudden altering of the message to include a direct tribute to President Trump, curious as to why the specific reference became present.
After only 14 hours, TikTok returned to users with a message stating “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.” Numerous users felt ecstatic after hearing the news, taking to social media to discuss their feelings on the matter.
“I feel like the TikTok ban is so unnecessary because that’s how many people in the U.S. get their income and it would be wrong to make them start over on a whole new app. I love that TikTok got unbanned because all of the TikTok influencers can continue to make an income without starting over on a new app. I like making content on TikTok, including edits of my favorite actors or actresses and fun little dance videos with my friends. Additionally, I’ve gotten used to asking TikTok about topics that I’m curious about and there’s tons of information and content there in less than a second,” sophomore Gavin Funck said.
Numerous users have speculated that the brief ban and subsequent unbanning may serve as a ploy to gather youth support for President Trump. The reason for public suspicion over the legitimacy of the event stems from Trump initially calling for the app to be banned back in 2020. December 2024, Trump stated that he holds a newfound warm spot for TikTok resulting from the rise of youth supporters and the idea that TikTok may have played a part in his success.
“I think that it should’ve stayed banned but I think what made it worse was unbanning it and saying that President Donald Trump helped unban it. President Donald Trump was the one who pushed for the ban in the first place so the fact that they’re presenting it like Trump got TikTok back to win more public approval from younger Americans, I think was really underhanded. I truly do think they only did ban TikTok in the first place so they could have the publicity stunt of Donald Trump saving it,” Sain said.
As of now, TikTok remains available for use. However, Trump’s executive action served only to delay the ban until April, meaning that unless government officials take further action, the future ban may remain permanent.
