The recent announcement regarding the potential ban of TikTok has left millions across the word shocked and concerned, especially within the teenage community.
“I feel like it’s not smart to ban the app. It’ll just cause more harm than good,” sophomore Ayden Michael said.
But this isn’t the first time this has been said. TikTok has faced threats regarding a possible ban for four years now. Which is why some, including myself, have doubts that the app will truly be banned.
Originally in 2020 there was talk about the possible ban of TikTok due to it being viewed as a national security threat. Detractors stated that the app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, presented risks due to its collection of user data and the possibility of foreign organizations to access this data.
Donald Trump, the president at the time, issued ByteDance to sell their app to U.S operations or face a ban within 90 days. ByteDance had denied selling their app to any U.S operation. After Biden stepped into office he postponed the case against the app but ultimately ended up reopening it.
Many popular celebrities like Elon Musk, Frank McCouryt, Kevin O’Leary, and MrBeast spoke out are willing to buy the app. Users took to the platform to share their gratitude and ambition. Chinese officials are evaluating options that involve selling their app to Elon Musk.
The popular video sharing app has been deeply embedded in the culture of humanity. For millions of teens across the country, TikTok serves as an outlet for them to express themselves. It’s a space where creativity can be shared throughout the world with short videos, viral challenges, and trends. It’s an app where you have easy access to discover new things.
This is a platform where young voices can be heard and impact the world. Or for most like me, it’s an app where I can go to find interesting, and entertaining videos. As anticipation for this sunday, the supposed date TIkTok is presumed to be banned in the US, many users are sharing their thoughts.
“I feel like it’s wrong and they’re trying to take away our freedom of speech,” sophomore Jocelyn Knox said.
Some are speaking about switching to the Chinese app RedNote, which shares similarity to TikTok. Speculation states that at some point the U.S government will try to ban this app as well.
A large number of people have begun saying their farewells to TikTok. Reminiscing on and recreating their favorite eras on TikTok. Editors are posting different compilations of popular periods of TikTok to trending sounds. Many famous creators are shifting their platforms to Instagram and encouraging their followers to join them on the app.
