According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) India banned TikTok in 2020 and since then the U.S has been trying to do the same. In April 2024 President Biden signed a bill that at the time was soon to be seen as a ban according to CNN. Currently, TikTok is set to be banned on January 19, 2025, the day before elected President Trump assumes office.
The reason for the potential ban was the concern “that the Chinese government could manipulate content or gain access to sensitive user data through TikTok” according to The New York Times, 2025.
Early Saturday, January 18, the Supreme Court “upheld a law set to ban TikTok unless the platform severs ties with China-based parent company ByteDance” by set ban date Sunday, January 19. The Biden administration said they would not enforce the potential ban, ultimately leaving the decision to President-elect Donald Trump. However, the statements from the Biden administration were not clear, so the ban would go into effect on Sunday, January 19 according to ABC News.
What is going to happen on January 19? If ByteDance is not able or unwilling to sell the app, app stores will be unable to distribute TikTok making it unavailable for download according to The New York Times.
On Saturday, January 18, people got pop-up messages when they opened TikTok to be informed of what is actually taking place. The first message was informing that the ban will take place on January 19 and force TikTok “to make [their] services temporarily unavailable.” They also mentioned they were working to restore the service. This was when people finally realized it was real, and the fear set in.
Senior Gabby Gracin said that the TikTok ban was “frustrating and annoying.” She also mentioned she gets all of her “outfit inspiration, news, music and book recommendations” from TikTok.
TikTok has become more than just an entertainment app. To some people it has become a community, job, and so much more.
Later that night it was banned. When a user tried to open the app it said, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.” The message continued to say, “that President Trump has indicated that he will work with [them] on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.”
People went to bed with saddened hearts, but how long was this going to last? A total of about twelve hours later, TikTok welcomes users back! “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.” Even though it is back, it is still currently unavailable in the app stores.
While some were upset with the ban, senior Kieleigh Fort says, “I wasn’t worried because I already like Instagram reels, so I thought everyone was overacting.”
While there are other alternatives, some would argue that it is not the same while it didn’t really affect others.
Everyone has a differing opinion, but it is still unclear what is happening with the ban at this time, so let’s enjoy the app while we still can.
