THE CONARD COURANT
Est. 1957
The Tik Tok Ban that Shook America
By Kayleigh Martin
On January 18th 2025, teens across America were shocked to discover that their beloved app TikTok was banned.
TikTok is a name familiar to many, the treasured social media app of Gen Z which has become extremely popular in this recent decade. In fact the app has become so popular that, according to a study conducted by Pew Research center, as of 2023, “63% of American teens report using Tik Tok”.
What makes TikTok so popular?
It may be its endless stream of videos, powerful algorithm, or overall it's “relatable” content aimed to appeal to teens. Whatever the reason, Tik Tok has become an app that is adored by millions.
What Caused the Ban, and How Long did it last?
It was an extreme shock to many who opened the app on Sunday, January 18th to find that TikTok had indeed been banned. However, the ban itself had been discussed by US lawmakers for years as they questioned the app's connections with the Chinese Government. In fact, Congress determined that in order to keep American user's data safe, Tik Tok would need to be bought out by an American company. Ultimately, they gave TikTok a year to seek out an American buyer, and unfortunately for the Tik Tok corporation, on January 19th, which was the deadline determined by congress, the app had not found a buyer. This resulted in it being banned by the Us government. Yet, this ban took place on January 19th, a day before President Trump took office. The president had previously remarked upon attempting to “save” the app, including extending the deadline for TikTok to be bought out by an American corporation. The president signed an executive order which paused the banning of Tik Tok for 75 days, establishing April 5th as the new date for the ban to take effect. Causing the banning of TikTok to last a whopping 12 hours, as users were greeted by a warm welcome back message by the app.
What does this mean for the future of TikTok?
It is still mainly unclear how the US government will attempt to keep the app online with the ban approaching in a few short weeks. However, a tech company called “Oracle” has emerged as a potential buyer of the app indicating that TikTok may not be gone forever. It should be noted that whichever company does end up taking over TikTok, the app itself will not be drastically changed and the algorithm that its users dearly love will not be affected by the new ownership.
Overall, while it is not fully certain that TikTok will remain in the United States, several companies, including Oracle have noted their interest in taking over the beloved app, allowing it to stay in the United States.
Sources https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/teens-and-social-media-fact-sheet/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-is-tiktok-being-banned-supreme-court-congress/
https://nypost.com/2025/01/19/us-news/tiktok-back-up-for-some-us-users-despite-ban/