The time for the ‘Apple’ dance, ‘Renegade’, get-ready-with-mes, and celebrity edits seemed to be coming to an end Saturday evening, just hours before midnight, as TikTok began to shut down. Anyone who tried to open TikTok in the U.S. received a message stating that the app was unavailable and TikTokers were forced to bid farewell to the beloved app.
After years of opening TikTok out of pure habit and muscle memory, users mourned the loss of their favorite social media app and were forced to turn to other platforms, such as Instagram reels and YouTube shorts.
However, less than 14 hours later, people joyfully reopened the app to find a ‘Welcome Back!’ message, which thanked President Trump for his efforts in bringing the app back. While the app continues to operate as it previously had, it has yet to reappear in app stores, so people who deleted the app in response to its shutdown are unable to get it back.
Talk of the TikTok ban began nearly five years ago when President Donald Trump declared in 2020 that the app posed a threat to national security, fearing the Chinese parent company was stealing user data. Following Trump’s intentions, former president Joe Biden passed a bill in April 2024 stating that TikTok would be banned from the U.S. if its Chinese parent company ByteDance did not sell the app to an American party, with the ban starting January 19, 2025.
The suspense and confusion of the TikTok ban is not quite wrapped up as President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of Justice not to enforce the ban. Instead, he suggests a joint venture effort with the parent company ByteDance and discusses the possibility of 50% U.S. ownership.
In the days leading up to the ban, officials from both the Biden and Trump administrations made several last-minute efforts to prevent it. Although the app was temporarily removed, their attempts to save TikTok were successful, given the prompt return of the app the very next day. However, this left people questioning the presidents’ previous suspicions about TikTok.
“I think that there could’ve been more conversations around it,” said Anastasia Chrzanowski, who teaches World Geography and AP World History. “It seems like there was a lot in the news. I was reading about the national security threats, and then all of a sudden, it was fine. So, it does seem like maybe we could’ve had more time, as a society and as a government, to consider ‘why is this a threat?’”
TikTok may be back in action for now, but many still wonder whether it should be. Although the possibility of China stealing millions of Americans’ data through TikTok is still in question, there are many other more blatant downsides of TikTok, mainly concerning users’ health.
For instance, many argue that TikTok’s short form media is shortening the attention spans of its users, impeding focus skills in the younger generations.
“When it comes to attention- and I’m in this group too- because we are so used to really quick clips, our attention spans are really short,” Chrzanowski said. “And so, for a lecture, or a group activity, or even a video in class, I think it’s hard for kids to engage for a longer amount of time because we’re all so used to ‘on to the next one, on to the next one.’”
TikTok also contributes to other issues of mental health, like unrealistic beauty and body standards, but these are general problems with social media in general.
TikTok has not only become an app for business revenue and entertainment, but also news and education for many. Although this brings up the issue of spreading misinformation, it also makes the population more aware of current and world events.
“[TikTok is] fun and entertaining and you can learn new things [from] it. [A con is that] it’s easy to spend too much time on it, and there’s a lot of misinformation,” said sophomore Noelle Hamm.
The real question is whether these downsides outweigh the benefits of TikTok. In terms of economics, TikTok supports 7 million small businesses that rely on the app for exposure and advertising, and it is also a major source of income for millions of influencers.
“I’d say no, [it shouldn’t be banned], just because so many people make a living off the app,” said junior Ethan Parent.
Overall, TikTok has become a huge platform for all people, no matter the ethnicity, culture, or background. Although the long term fate of TikTok is still unknown, the temporary ban has proved how impactful the app is on society, and people appreciate it more than ever.
