“What’s going on with TikTok?” “Will TikTok be banned in the US?” “Why is the US Government trying to ban TikTok?” These questions are circulating the media for what seems to be the second time in the past half-decade.
In 2020, Former President Donald Trump deemed TikTok a “national security threat” and announced that additional steps must be taken to deal with the emergency. Former President Trump additionally publicized at this time that he was considering banning the social media platform. However, his ban was prevented by TikTok’s mother company ByteDance, compromising with the government in order to prevent the ban.
Now, in 2024 history seems to be repeating itself. On March 13th, legislation was passed that will ban TikTok six months after the bill’s enactment. However, once again there is an opportunity that will allow ByteDance to save the US branch of their social media platform: sell it. The US government has announced that if ByteDance will divest it’s shares within the next six months, then it will not be nationally banned.
Why is TikTok a National Threat?
TikTok is a platform created and owned by companies within the People’s Republic of China. Reportedly, TikTok is capable of downloading and storing large quantities of information from its users, which encompass 1 billion globally, and 37.36% of all US mobile internet users. This grants China access to personal information of Americans, as well as their locations, and their search histories.
Additionally, the Chinese company also has access to what media is siphoned into the feeds of the general population of America, one of China’s greatest international competitors. This has raised concern amongst elected officials enough to threaten a national ban of the application not once but twice and designate the platform as a looming threat. Clearly, TikTok’s level of influence and control over the American media has become a national cause for concern.
What Will Happen if TikTok is Banned?
Since its release in 2016, TikTok has steadily grown as an app. TikTok has been downloaded over 3 billion times, and at one point even held the title of the most downloaded app in the United States.
TikTok is worth 66 billion dollars as of 2023 and has been gaining influence in the United State’s economy as it increases in size. An article from the Washington Post states “TikTok drove $14.7 billion in small-business owners” revenue in 2023 and contributed $24.2 billion to U.S. gross domestic product last year.” Should TikTok be banned, it will hurt countless content creators, and damage many small businesses across the nation.
Additionally, aside from having economic impacts, TikTok has become integrated into the culture and daily lives of young people across America. The social media platform seeks to “inspire creativity and bring joy” and is an outlet for expression and method of communication across the nation.
How Could This Impact Northport?
At Northport, the majority of students allocate some time to the platform each day, as it is not only an outlet for expression but also a source of entertainment. When questioned, it was calculated that students at Northport High School usually spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours each day scrolling on the app, spending an average of 132 minutes, or 2 hours and 12 minutes each day just on TikTok alone.
This leads to the question of what will happen if TikTok is banned, and there are large blocks of unoccupied time in student’s days. It is possible that these minutes or even hours will be filled with a replacement social media platform such as Instagram or Snapchat. However, it is also a likely possibility that students might utilize this time as an opportunity to pick up a new hobby, dedicate more time to school work, or spend more time exercising, now that the time-sucking addiction has been removed from their lives.
Only time will tell if this change will take place, and if so, how it will impact users across the nation as well as here in Northport.
