Back in 2014 ByteDance released its dance and entertainment app Musical.ly, but after only two years, in 2016 it was revamped into what we all know today as TikTok. Flashforward to the current time, when there are over 2 billion active TikTok users around the world. 

Recently, the widely debated United States banning of Chinese social media and entertainment app TikTok due to cyber security issues has sparked conflict on what really is best for the app and the American people.  The Supreme Court upheld a law passed by Congress to ban the app and was to go into effect on Sunday, January 19th. The result of the ban brought confusion and sadness to millions of users all over the country, but in the early hours of January 19th, TikTok was up and running again for American users 

TikTok does come with its share of concerns regarding security, privacy, and influence, but banning it creates issues with free speech and individual economic stability.

The Merits of the TikTok Ban 
By Topher LaLonde, Ryan Mauwa, Chase Vanderwalle, and Mitchell Barnard

Despite it’s entertaining nature, TikTok does actually present concerns because ByteDance is a Chinese company and the app collects large amounts of data on its users that could be used in negative ways, especially because of vague privacy agreements and no guarantee that the data isn’t being turned over to the Chinese government. The amount of data that the app collects grows exponentially every day due to the fact that the app is highly addictive.

Research from Brown University shows that watching TikTok will produce dopamine, which is what gives you feelings of happiness making you feel like you need to continue watching what you started. People have gotten so distracted with making TikToks and watching them that they are losing real people skills like communication, problem-solving skills, and working with a team. Another problem with TikTok that is affecting the younger generation is that it disrupts the attention spans of kids. This has shown throughout schools where many students struggle to pay attention to lessons and can’t go more than a class period without scrolling on their phone. “TikTok is ruining the attention spans of these people by providing access to quick scrolling entertainment,” said senior Evan Elkins. “If it was banned it would be beneficial for people to gain back that attention span.” While TikTok isn’t the only app that causes distractions, “this is the app that may lead people to other things that don’t value their time when they could be focusing on goals or tasks,” said social studies teacher Aaron Warfield. TikTok doesn’t only contribute to negative psychological factors, but it is also problematic as a spreader of fake news. 

Cnet.com estimates that about 20% of news-related content on TikTok is misleading. Users that are scrolling to the next video are unlikely to stop and take the time to educate themselves, instantly jumping to conclusions from unreliable sources and then sharing that misinformation with others. Along with all the problems from the users of TikTok are the many risks while using the app. Parents need to protect their children from TikTok as sometimes the community guidelines don’t catch a post that could potentially harm a child. A University of Minnesota study revealed that feelings of depression, anxiety, and low-self image increased as a user’s time spent on the app increased due to exposure to negative content, particularly as it pertains to “doomscrolling” and body image. 

Overall, people have become too reliant on TikTok and the app being banned could ultimately be a good thing for the United States and its people. 

The Case Against the TikTok Ban 
By Gabe Bautista, Drew Collins, Layla Carpenter, and Kush Kolhe

TikTok is one of the most major social media platforms used in the past 5 years. It is not only a place for people to get news from, but many people rely on Tiktok as a place for freedom of speech, brand endorsement, or even a place to learn. Many users find place of comfort when scrolling through Tiktok as they are able to relate to others and be connected to people with similar interests or experiences from across the world. “It literally makes me happy. It, like, gives me dopamine,” says senior Taylor Couch-Kneekins.

Tiktok being banned will not only affect consumers from a convenience standpoint, but it has the potential to disturb their economic security as well. Tiktok is a home to over 180 million people in the United States alone, and many of those users have monetized their content. Whether they are promoting a brand or their own content, TikTok estimates that a quarter of their users make a fulltime salary. Others make less, with about half of users making between $1 and $15,000 per year. TikTok being banned would not only affect multiple people who use it as a career, but also 5 million business that sell their products on Tiktok shop. A permanent TikTok ban could cause a significant amount of damage to the economy.

Realistically, if Tiktok is being banned for taking information from people who use the app, it would be almost hypocritical if Congress did not ban Instagram or Facebook for doing the same. Both of these apps collect personal information, financial information, and location information. They also track user activity across sites and develop predictive algorithms to increase engagement. Every negative point about TikTok can also be made about these apps, but because they are American-owned, it is somehow okay to ignore their dangers.

In trying to “protect” the American people, the government is actually making the situation worse. “The whole point of TikTok being banned is that they are infiltrating information,” says senior Elijah Graham, “and then people are downloading Red Note, even though it’s like they were actually more Chinese than TikTok.”

The biggest concern over TikTok is the fact that it is operated by a Chinese company, but other companies, like Shein, have done the same thing without any ban at all. Not to mention, other companies both in America and across the globe have shared their customer’s data with third parties close to China, and there aren’t drastic measures being taken to stop that from happening. In our advanced technical time, an app doesn’t have to be directly associated with China for them to gain access.

Banning TikTok also violates an individual’s right to freedom of speech because it closes a door that a person can use to express themselves. It also reduces the amount of information a person can look for and learn from. Considering the amount of useful information on TikTok, banning the app in this sense is similar to banning books.

In conclusion, TikTok being banned can negatively impact many individuals considering the risk of them losing their jobs, followers, and a form of freedom of speech.