Exploring the ban of TikTok in the US

TikTok being banned. Image: Getty

Hi everyone, this is Henry and Tiana!

We are back, this time, we bring what we have explored, and our perspective on the ban of TikTok in the US.

A few weeks ago, TikTok was the center of arguments after the US government decided to ban this app in the country the second time, and then allowed it to run its service again after approximately 14 hours. This was strange, maybe to most people, and also to us. TikTok has been a controversial topic for a while now. It is not argued that the app also brings a lot of potential and benefits to almost everyone and the economy. 

TikTok is often seen as an entertainment platform, with viral dance challenges or comedy acting. However, its potential goes beyond that. We can clearly see that TikTok is a platform for creativity. With simple tools for editing and sharing content, almost everyone can become a creator. This has brought a new job opportunity for society, for example, some people have a dream of following the artistic road but they are scared to try due to the unstable financial situation, or competition. TikTok had brought this opportunity to them without risking anything and some artists have become popular and more recognized thanks to TikTok. Moreover, small businesses have a chance to grow and advertise without needing a large advertising budget, with their algorithms they have reached their target audience. From handmade crafts to local food spots, TikTok has played a crucial role in helping entrepreneurs thrive. 

According to the article by Fores, TikTok is an effective platform for advertising products because of its unique format. With one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, TikTok has over a billion active users across the globe. This huge number of users means that businesses have more opportunities and potential to grow and expand their customers (Fores, 2022). 

Despite the benefits that the app brings, it is always like a two-sided coin. One of the major issues that most people are worried about is privacy concerns. The app has faced intense scrutiny for its ties to China, leading to worries that the data could potentially be leaked and unauthorized access to personal information. Based on the article, “TikTok Use and Privacy Risks” by the University of Ottawa, the app has collected sensitive information from its users and is often taken without permission, such as email, phone numbers, etc. While TikTok has taken steps to address these concerns, there is still doubt. In addition, like many other social media platforms, TikTok is not excluded from cyberbullying and online harassment. Nowadays, kids are exposed to social media at a very young age, which leads to them exposing mature, unsafe content. The app has been constantly receiving reports about cyberbullying and body shaming, especially from young TikTok stars. 

Tiana’s view 

From my point of view, I personally don’t use TikTok due to my low-key lifestyle. I feel that having too much social media can get me overwhelmed, so I  just feel comfortable with it. However, although I am not using TikTok, I see that TikTok has many benefits, and a lot of people have earned money, and grown careers from them. For example, I have seen some Vietnamese artists that I know have started their careers from TikTok, when they reach a point where people start to recognize their work, they will start to go mainstream. Most of the artists I know started and grew their careers like that. Furthermore, TikTok has changed the way we interact and consume habits. Many businesses have grown and can expand their consumers by advertising on TikTok. However, I see that it also creates a stereotype, which can lead to a toxic environment. Some people go on the platform and share about their ‘perfect life’ (the life that everyone dreams of), ‘perfect body’, or ‘perfect educational path’, in life nothing is perfect, they always share or create content to flex. These things can create peer pressure on mostly young people, which can lead to mental health issues. Moreover, not recently ago, I saw an article about kids who are pre-teen or younger using Drunk Elephant retinol for ‘anti-aging’, and another article about kids going to Sephora mixing different kinds of Drunk Elephant and leaving a big mess. Besides, these kids are now influenced by influencers or their followers, as I mentioned above these TikTok influencer or trending videos have influenced them in the wrong ways. 

Henry’s view

In contrast with Tiana, I have used TikTok since grade 8th. Until now, I've been using this social media for 5 years. However, I’m not addicted to scrolling social media in general, especially TikTok. I can live without TikTok, so when I sit down and analyze, I can still look at it on both sides.

Briefly, I always think that TikTok has both good and bad sides. Is it a good side? Along with YouTube, it is a great platform for content creators. Everyone creates videos, shorts, music, etc. Even government bodies and news channels have accounts to update users' news. With the advantage of a huge amount of users (especially youngsters), the news will be spread with the speed of light! Besides, it is also a potential place to grow careers, right? You might have heard or known of Lil Nas X, BoyWithUke, or Khabane Lame, they are one of the people who got famous from TikTok!

From the mentioned advantages, I can say that TikTok is a great app. However, this doesn’t mean that this is a completely “fresh” social media platform. Just like any other social media, TikTok has toxic users. These users make others feel uncomfortable with their comments, posts, or videos. Many contents or comments contain hate, bullying, body shaming, and even racism and sexism. I’m using TikTok in Vietnam, so most of the content I saw was from Vietnamese. You might or might not know now, but sadly, Vietnamese social media is one of the most toxic places that you could ever find (maybe exaggerated a bit, but true), especially the comments. For me, it is hard to use the platform without seeing negative comments in a week (maybe I can reduce the possibility by blocking those people). Using TikTok, I did and still see bad people everywhere, “all kinds of them”. Maybe society can be less toxic depending on the region, but I have to say TikTok content moderators are really bad. They might not be able to check all of the videos because that is very much. However, most of the time I report a comment or video for political reasons or many other things, they will just mark it as “does not violate community standards”, what kind of “community standards” did they mean? *Sigh* In the end, I just want to say that whether TikTok is a great place for entertainment, it still has potential risks that may lead to unwanted things. Maybe that was why it was banned.

However, I didn’t understand President Donald Trump when he asked the Supreme Court to “delay” TikTok's ban while he signed to ban this app for the first time in 2020.

President Trump’s decisions toward TikTok

According to the article, “How Donald Trump Went from Backing TikTok Ban to Backing Off’” by the New York Times, in 2020, Trump announced that TikTok was a threat to American national security. A law passed with two-party support and signed by Trump. However, his effort to ban TikTok at that time was blocked by a federal judge, who said that he had exceeded his authority. President Biden then revoked Trump's ban in 2021 as Congress considered new legislation. Fast-forward to the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump has changed his position, however, he still considered TikTok a national security threat, but banning it would make young people go crazy. During his campaign, Trump went to use the app with great success during the campaign, and said in a video posted in June, “I’m going to save TikTok”. The federal ban on TikTok took effect at Sunday midnight on January 19, 2025, but President-elect Trump at that time said he would restore the app when he returned to office a day later, the app was banned for 12 hours before restore. Trump had signed an executive order to delay the ban for 90 days. Even though the ban has been delayed, in Google and Apple app stores the app has remained out of their marketplaces, and users who haven’t downloaded or deleted the app, can not download or redownload the app.  When asked for his reason for delaying the ban on TikTok, he said “Because I got used to it”, he also shared that his youngest son Barron Trump has encouraged him to use the platform to win over young voters, which is a success. 

As you can see, Trump’s change in perspective toward TikTok caused a wider debate on balancing national security concerns and the platform’s undeniable influence. President Trump used to see TikTok as a dangerous threat to his country, but then, his campaign strategy in the last “presidential voting” proved that this is also a powerful tool for attracting, especially younger people. This case highlights how influenced TikTok has become in our modern society. Its affection is so great that even political figures recognized its value, much more than just an entertaining app.

For us, Henry and Tiana, this case made us question ourselves for a few days. If TikTok is really a security threat, then why was its banning lifted so soon? Why was it banned in the US before that? 

However, there is one thing that we think is clear: TikTok’s impact on society is too much to ignore. Currently, whether the government lets it there or restricts it, this app already changed how people consume content and run businesses. The challenge now is to find a balance between security and freedom. We cannot deny TikTok’s undeniable role in society.

In the end, we think TikTok is a double-edged sword. While it offers many opportunities for creativity, fun, entertainment, business growth, and also social connection; it also contains privacy concerns, harmful content, and toxic users (=> toxic societies in the media). We hope that TikTok will continue to improve its advantages and try its best to reduce the drawbacks remaining. TikTok is not something that can’t be lived without, but its effect on the entire society is “unignorable”.

Work Cited

Hamilton, David. “TikTok Ban: A Timeline of the App’s History.” AP News, 27 Apr. 2024, apnews.com/article/tiktok-timeline-ban-biden-india-d3219a32de913f8083612e71ecf1f428.

Powell, Olivia. “The US TikTok Ban – a Full Timeline.” Tom’s Guide, 9 Jan. 2025, www.tomsguide.com/computing/vpns/the-us-tiktok-ban-a-full-timeline.

Yilek, Caitlin. “TikTok Starts Restoring Service in the U.S. After Shutting down over Divest-Or-Ban Law.” Cbsnews.com, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2025, cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-voluntarily-shuts-down-in-u-s-divest-or-ban-law-set-to-take-effect.

Durkee, Alison. “Trump Vows He’ll “Save” TikTok from Ban. Here’s What He Can—and Can’t—Do.” Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025, www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/01/19/trump-vows-hell-save-tiktok-from-ban-heres-what-he-can-and-cant-do/.

Friedman, Lisa, and Sapna Maheshwari. “How Donald Trump Went from Calling for a TikTok Ban to Backing Off.” The New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/us/politics/trump-tik-tok-ban.html.

Jenny Lyons-Cunha. “The TikTok Ban: What Happened, and Will TikTok Actually Go Away? | Built In.” Built In, 2025, builtin.com/articles/us-tiktok-ban.

Karra, Srikar. “Why Businesses Benefit from Being on TikTok.” Forbes, 9 Dec. 2022, www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/12/09/why-businesses-benefit-from-being-on-tiktok/.

Kayata, Erin. “Why Are So Many Kids Requesting Drunk Elephant Skincare Products for the Holidays?” Northeastern Global News, 101AD, news.northeastern.edu/2023/12/21/drunk-elephant-skincare/.

Liptak, Adam. “Supreme Court Seems Poised to Uphold Law That Could Ban TikTok.” The New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/01/10/us/politics/supreme-court-tiktok-ban-law.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Mathioudakis, Zoe. “Tiktok and Cyberbullying.” Medium, 10 June 2020, medium.com/@zoe.mathioudakis23/tiktok-and-cyberbullying-32eb02adb20f.

Taylor, Emily. “Why Trump’s Change of Heart on TikTok? This Is about Self-Interest, Not Security.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 29 Jan. 2025, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/29/donald-trump-tiktok-security-threat-us-ban-chinese-platform-espionage.

“The Disadvantages of TikTok: Unveiling the Dark Side.” Humans, 2023, vocal.media/humans/the-disadvantages-of-tik-tok-unveiling-the-dark-side.

“TikTok Use and Privacy Risks.” UOttawa, www.uottawa.ca/about-us/information-technology/services/security/tiktok-use-privacy-risks.