By Alexa Leitner
TikTok is a social media platform that has approximately 150 million daily users alone in the United States. Over the past few months, governments across the globe have been considering putting a ban on the app. In the United States, Europe, and Canada, lawmakers have put forth efforts to try and restrict the use of the app. TikTok’s parent company is ByteDance, a Chinese internet technology company. Governments are concerned that the Chinese government can access sensitive information through the app, such as location. TikTok has denied these allegations, yet governments are persisting in their prosecution. In the United States, government officials have taken strides to ban TikTok across the country. TikTok has been banned in more than a dozen states on government-issued devices. Additionally, colleges such as Auburn University, Boise State University, and the University of Texas at Austin have all banned TikTok on their campuses by blocking the app from their wifi network. While TikTok isn’t banned in the United States on personal devices, there are many government officials such as Republican Senator Josh Hawley who would like to make that happen. In Congress right now, the banning of TikTok is one of the only things that both Republicans and Democrats agree on. The House Foreign Affairs Committee recently voted and approved a bill that allows President Biden to ban the social media platform across the country completely. An LREI junior commented that “I think it would be a really big change for society because so much has become centered around TikTok.”
It is becoming much more of a possibility that TikTok will be banned in the United States. For many, TikTok is very addictive and people find themselves scrolling through the app for hours. Sammi Sapira reflected on how this change might affect them, “I would feel upset at first because I use it every day, but eventually I would be grateful.” Another student, Violet Wexler was in agreement that this change could have benefits: “Overall for mental health, if TikTok just disappeared, it would be better for our generation.” It appeared that some students wouldn’t worry as much about becoming easily distracted by the app, which would likely raise their productivity rates, and decrease their addiction to their phones.
Aside from being used for sheer entertainment purposes, Tik Tok is also used as a news source and business promotion platform. The banning of TikTok, while beneficial to some, will be a big change for society. Influencers who gained fame from the app would have to find a new way to keep up with their fan base and retain what they have achieved from the app. Without TikTok, many influencers would lose their main income source and struggle to find new platforms to further their success. Businesses that rely on TikTok as a source of revenue and promotion would have to come up with new ways to stay relevant.
With no TikTok, mental health could improve. However, businesses, influencers, and those who built a career from the app would have to find new ways to sustain their lifestyles. This is all likely to end up in the courts with Tik Tok fighting the bans in order to try to keep operating in the United States.