All About the TikTok Ban

As most people know, TikTok was recently banned in the U.S.—only to be up and running again in less than 24 hours. However, I regret to inform you that the beloved app is not necessarily back for good. 

The deal made by Congress was that the company’s owner, ByteDance, would have until Jan. 19, 2025, to sell the app to an American-owned company, or it would face a ban in the United States. When the deadline came and ByteDance failed to act on these terms, they took matters into their own hands, shutting down the app just hours before the U.S. Government could do it for them. TikTok was taken off the App Store and Google Play in the U.S., and when American users opened the app they were greeted with a message stating, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t 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!” 

All hope seemed lost for Americans who had either spent weeks living in denial or frantically saving as many of their favorite videos as possible. Then, something unexpected happened. Around 12 hours later, the message changed. It now read, “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.”

The app was working again, and Americans didn’t hesitate to jump back into it, easily ditching any apps they’d downloaded to “replace” TikTok. Unfortunately, those who had already deleted the app from their phone would be unable to reinstall it, as it was (and still is) unavailable in Google Play or other app stores. 

So how can this be? Was the temporary ban just a stunt to scare Americans? The answer is no. To save TikTok, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to extend ByteDance’s sell-by deadline by 75 days. So that means that while we currently have access to the app, Sunday, April 5th will be the new dark day for TikTok users in the United States. I knew this news would be heartbreaking to so many students and staff around Waukee High School, so I found it my responsibility to break the news and see how people were coping with this loss—here is what I found. 

I first spoke with senior and avid TikTok user Corbin Davis, who said he honestly wasn’t too worried about the ban. “I had hope that it’d come back sooner rather than later because it’s just such a big app,” he said. When asked how he spent his time while the app was unavailable, he explained, “Thankfully, I was asleep for most of it. I felt its absence when I woke up, though, because TikTok is usually the first thing I watch when I get up.” He admits that he did download RedNote (the Chinese version of TikTok), but deleted it because of uneasiness with its terms and conditions.  

Next, I talked to sophomore Jana Maharry, who says that she uses the app every day for entertainment. Maharry reflected on the ban, stating, “I didn’t believe it would happen until it did. It kinda annoyed me, but I didn’t care that much.” She also offered a new, more positive perspective admitting that the ban would have actually been good for her. “It would’ve cut down my daily screen time,” she shared. 

Lastly, I talked with senior Taffy Sindlinger. She said that at first, she didn’t believe the ban would happen, assuming it was just to “scare us”. However, when it started to feel real, she decided to take action. “I called one of our Iowa Representatives. I told him to ‘vote no’, on the bill to ban TikTok, but clearly, that didn’t do much,” she shared. Taffy also shared that she downloaded RedNote and she loves it. “Before TikTok got banned, I saw videos about RedNote and thought it sounded interesting, so I downloaded it. I spent a good few hours there as a ‘TikTok refugee’. Now that TikTok is back, I still have RedNote.” 

While it may seem dramatic, the sense of loss people were and are feeling is very real. TikTok is often written off as a pointless, time-wasting dancing app, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a platform where users can find new recipes, learn random skills, discover their next favorite song/book/movie, and above all else, connect with people. It has saved lives, pushed struggling businesses away from closing, helped artists get discovered, revived old and forgotten songs, made way for people to share their beliefs, and provided a much-needed distraction in our busy, chaotic world. Though TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain, its cultural impact is undeniable and will continue to be felt for years to come.