The Banning of TikTok

By Abby Hodes ‘25
The Supreme Court upheld a federal mandate requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its US operations or suffer a ban. 

This has sparked outrage among the TikTok community, where there have been heated debates over free speech, economic impact and the government overstepping their reigns.
In recent years, TikTok has transformed the United States, becoming a social media platform on which people make a living. 
With over a billion users worldwide, it is a space for creativity to flourish and for political advocacy. You can create videos that are fifteen seconds long and easily digestible for viewers or 10-minute-long videos, often used for vlog content.
 Its immense popularity has brought intense scrutiny, especially among the older generations, who are detached from the community it has built and see it as a security threat and a mental health issue.
These concerns sparked discussions about whether TikTok should be banned. However, is a TikTok ban the best solution?
As a Chinese company, TikTok poses national security risks. Chinese laws compel companies to share information upon request, so there are fears that the government could access users’ data. 
These concerns have led governments in India and many other countries to ban TikTok outright and prompted U.S. lawmakers to propose similar measures.
TikTok is not just a social media platform—it has been a place for economic prosperity. Small businesses and content creators have built careers, as TikTok algorithms make it easy to reach target audiences in ways other platforms cannot. 
A ban would eliminate millions of jobs, as many have made TikTok their full-time job. Creators on the app posted heartfelt goodbyes to their followers during the week when rumors about the ban circulated. 
Kimber Rhoades, a comedic creator with 3 million followers, told her viewers, “I never even in a million years ever thought that anybody would ever just care about what I say if this app goes away, it was a beautiful, beautiful ride.”
On January 18, at 9 pm, everyone in the United States received a message on their screen: “We regret that US law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable.”
However, this ban was brief, lasting 12 hours before President Trump shared a message that he would issue an executive order following his inauguration on Monday, January 20 to delay the ban, which the Supreme Court agreed to stay for 90 days. 
Following this, a message was posted on TikTok: "Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the US!” Although, even the brief shutdown caused many TikTok users to be distraught. 
Junior Marley Fischer shares her thoughts on the ban: “Half of me was sad about the TikTok ban because it was an app I had been using for years and loved.” She also expressed some of the positives, “in some ways I was relieved to know it was going away because TikTok is addicting and I was hoping if it was gone I would be more productive.”
A negative many have shared about TikTok is the harmful effects it has on one's mental health. TikTok’s algorithm is designed for maximum engagement, keeping users scrolling for hours. 
While this can lead to entertainment and discovery, it also fosters addiction and exacerbates mental health issues, especially among teens. 
The rise of self-diagnosing is due to TikTok's ‘for you’ page with an algorithm that is easily digestible but will show mental health videos once a user interacts with one. 
This leads to unnecessary anxieties and leads to misinformation as most of the individuals sharing mental health content are not health professionals and thus poses a serious challenge. 
However, on the flip side, TikTok is more than an app; it’s a community. Rose Berman ‘25 shares how “leading up to the TikTok ban, my entire feed was filled with old videos that had been filmed during COVID.” 
This nostalgia caused Rose to realize “how bonded our generation has been through this app and how it would be a lot different for everyone without it.”
TikTok has allowed users from all walks of life to share their stories, talents, and ideas. Small businesses, activists, and marginalized voices have made an impact and sparked meaningful conversations. 
In addition, banning TikTok could set a dangerous precedent for digital censorship. If governments can block one platform under security or social concerns, what stops them from targeting others? 
The question of whether TikTok should be banned isn’t just about a single app; it’s about the broader implications of how to navigate the digital age. Viewing social media as data being stolen is a larger issue, and so are the mental health issues that come from these platforms. 
While the concerns are valid and pressing, banning TikTok may cause more harm than good, from suppressing creativity to undermining democratic values. 
Creating a balance between safety and freedom can be a challenge, and it requires solutions rather than a dismissal, which is what a ban is, avoidance of the root issues.