Every day, 50 million people log onto TikTok, one of the worlds most popular social media apps. The app has created jobs for influencers, assisted small business growth, and provided a platform for people to be creative, so what is the controversy?
TikTok had been accused of stealing data from the U.S. users. Raising many questions about national security, law makers believed it to be a large threat to the privacy of American citizens. In July of 2020, President Trump proposed the idea to ban TikTok, and almost 4 years later in April of 2024, former President Biden signed a bill banning TikTok.
The date for the ban had been set; on January 19th 2025, TikTok would be banned. However, no one really knew what this meant. Talk of a TikTok ban loomed over the heads of its users for years. So when the ban came, people were not very alarmed; most users ignored the impending ban and assumed that it would be resolved. But this time, the app would truly be prohibited. People started speculating on the internet; some believed that Americans would still have access to the app, but it would be removed from the app store. Others believed that it would go completely dark. Still, the fate of the app remained unknown.
It came as a surprise that on the evening of January 18th, 2025 American TikTok users received a message reading, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”The ban seemed to be enacted, and Americans were not able to access any content on the app, not even their own profiles.
Users remained confused as the app was not supposed to be gone yet, not to mention the fact that it was still unclear as to if the app was coming back. But just twelve hours later, the app began working again in America. Upon re-opening, users were met with another pop-up stating, “Welcome back! Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”
Conspiracies began circulating throughout the app, and questions were raised: how did Trump bring the app back when he hasn’t been inaugurated yet? Why did the app go dark early? Will TikTok get banned in the future?
Before the 2024 election, Donald Trump had publicly expressed his contempt for TikTok. He believed the app was a menace to the United States’ national security, and he pushed to implement a ban. He went as far to issue an executive order saying, “(TikTok) threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage.” Essentially, China had too much unregulated access to American data, causing the government to be concerned.
Though, after the recent election, President Trump seemed to have a change of heart, asserting he has, “a warm sport in his heart for TikTok.” He believes that the app’s demographic of younger users assisted his victory in the election because he was able to appeal and connect to them with content. Trump claimed that TikTok helped him win the youth vote by 34 points; in actuality, Harris won youth by over 4 percent(ufts’ polls). Regardless, Trump began to sympathize with TikTok.
Right after taking office, he signed an executive order that was meant to pause the TikTok ban for 90 days, allowing the government more time to figure out their next steps concerning the app. Currently, TikTok is available in the U.S. and will remain accessale for the time being. The extension is set to end in a few weeks, so the future of the app is still unclear. TikTok could potentially be purchased by an American buyer which would allow the app to be used in the United States indefinitely. Additionally, the date for the ban could be pushed back.
