Since 2020, TikTok has faced annual ban threats, but this year, on Jan. 18, the ban was finally implemented.
U.S. officials wanted TikTok to be banned because the app is a threat to 170 million TikTok users in the United States and with fears that the Chinese government could be using the app to spy on Americans or influence them by showing certain content.
On Jan. 10, the Supreme Court heard arguments from TikTok which outlined that the ban was unconstitutional and went against the first amendment. The Supreme Court dismissed this argument and ruled that the app would be banned on January 19 and essentially “go dark”. The app unfortunately went dark on the night of Jan. 18 which upset a lot of users who were trying to get their final scrolls in.
One day before President Trump’s inauguration he stated that he would save TikTok. He was fond of TikTok because he personally used it during the 2024 election and won the youth vote by 34 points.
In 2023 TikTok had 80.9 million downloads in the United States, with 36.2% of users being between the ages of 18-24.
TikTok is a central platform in today’s society where users can create, share ideas, and engage with content to pass time. “I have been using TikTok everyday for the past 8 years. The amount of time ranges from 1-3 hours but I am mostly on it before bed during the weekday, and even more on the weekends,” Alexis Vafai ‘26 said.
On Jan. 18, the app’s last day being available to people in the United States, many users shared heartfelt goodbyes and shared what other platforms they would be joining to stay connected. “My first thought when the announcement that TikTok would be banned was that it wasn’t going to actually happn, it’s been threatened before but nothing came of it,”Skylar Palmeri ‘26 said.
Shortly after the app was banned users got a notification that TikTok is no longer available in the United States but the company was working with President Trump to bring back the app and to stay tuned. Many people switched over to Instagram reels and Red Note but it was not the same as TikTok, by force of habit many users would click on the app forgetting that their favorite app was gone for what they thought was permanent.
Approximately 12 hours after the ban, users returned to TikTok to discover the best news they could have hoped for: TikTok was back and better than ever. The notification outlined that after working with President Trump TikTok was back in the United States. “When TikTok returned, I returned,” said Zachary Coneh ‘26.
What the future holds for TikTok is not clear, President Trump is currently working with TikTok and potentially becoming business partners. For now, TikTok’s 170 million users are excited for the app to be back.
