The platform TikTok, based in China, is under consideration for a ban on Jan. 19, 2025, by the Supreme Court, and the app’s users are concerned about losing the app and how they will spend their free time going forward.
The action was conjured due to concerns that the Chinese government would access America’s data and use it to surveil U.S. citizens, spread misinformation, and affect public opinion. Furthermore, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), grants the government the authority to ban foreign-owned apps that it deems a threat to national security.
When asked if she was worried about the ban, RHS Junior Isabella Smiley mentioned, “I have videos saved for recipes and hairstyles, in other words, I don’t want to lose things that I might’ve found useful in the future. Also, I will miss being able to watch specific things and people I find entertaining.”
When the law is initiated, even TikTok officials are unsure of what will happen. They believe there is a chance that when U.S. users try to open the app, a message will show up notifying the user that the service is no longer available; this is what happened in 2020 when the app was banned in India.
It is confirmed, however, that app stores such as Google Play and Apple’s App Store will be prohibited from offering the platform for U.S. citizens to download or update. For existing U.S. users, TikTok will not disappear from their phones, but the app will become increasingly harder to use as bugs and glitches cannot be fixed.
When Ross High School students were asked for their opinion on the TikTok ban, the responses were drastically split. For instance, many students did not believe the ban was going to go through since government officials had tried to ban TikTok years prior. Gavin Verbecken stated, “It’s not real. Like the boy who cried wolf, the government has threatened it so many times but never has done it.”
Others are embracing the ban as it will help them and others end their addiction to scrolling. RHS Senior Isabella Woolum shared, “I was upset because I am always on TikTok, but I feel like it would also be good since so many people are addicted to it.”
As of right now, U.S. Senator Ed Markey introduced a second bill to extend the TikTok ban by 270 days, but the action has yet to be approved. In this bill, if ByteDance, TikTok’s owner, fails to sell the app by the extended deadline, then the same consequences will apply, and TikTok will be forced the face the ban. Until then, enjoy your last few days on the app, and save any videos you would like to revisit.
