Students reflect on TikTok ban

By Nicole Postma and Kiara Green

News Reporter/Opinions Reporter

The below part of the story is from Nicole Postma

TikTok, the wildly popular social media app with over a billion global users, was facing potential bans in several countries over national security and privacy concerns. 

Students Cayla Gist (right) and Amya Wilson react to TikTok's ban. Photo by Kaliyah Givens.

“TikTok is cool and all, but when it got banned, I was like TikTok is gone, but it’s not just the only app,” Ayden Latta said.

Many TikTok influencers rely on the platform for their livelihood and had expressed concerns about the ban. Creators felt like they lost their primary source of income and a platform for self-expression.

“I knew TikTok would come back after the ban. I thought it would be at least a week," Rakhia Campbell said.

Creators often feel frustrated, anxious, and uncertain about their future. Some even claim that banning TikTok stifles creativity and limits opportunities for people to reach a global audience. 

“Some governments argue that TikTok’s ties to China could compromise user data, leading to potential surveillance risks, “ Latta said.

Young people express disappointment, anger, and even a sense of loss when the app is banned. TikTok is an interaction for them, so its removal feels like a significant part of their daily life is being taken away. 

“The TikTok ban didn’t really affect me just because I don’t use or watch TikTok; I use other things, though. I watch YouTube shorts,” Matthew Garcia said.

However, TikTok continues to be a widely popular app that billions of people use. TikTok was banned for 14 hours in the United States and is now not available to download or show on the app store.

“I think TikTok should have been banned longer,” Latta said.

Overall, Tiktok is a double-edged sword: It offers incredible creative opportunities but, depending on its use, it poses certain risks. 

“I feel like TikTok should have been banned forever just because I feel like it’s not healthy for young people and people in general,” Latta said.

The platform has also been criticized for its inability to effectively monitor harmful content, including misformation, hate speech, or content that could influence vulnerable users. 

“I didn’t even know that TikTok would be banned, but when I found out, I knew it wouldn’t be long until it comes back,” Garcia said.

This part of the story is from Kiara Green: Kiara Green

Opinions Reporter

Most students feel that TikTok should not be banned and should be kept.

“I think people would be upset, but they’d use connections made from TikTok to begin somewhere else and create a new community,” senior Christen Jones Said.

Jones believes that if TikTok were to be permanently banned, many people would be upset. Although they might be upset, she feels as if people would still find a similar social media platform.

“I feel like TikTok has helped so many people and became a main source of income, so it being banned would disrupt a lot of livelihoods,” Jones said.

Jones feels that TikTok isn’t just for entertainment; it is also a way for many people to make money from home.

“I love the access to other people and opportunities it can create,” Jones said.

Jones states that her favorite thing about TikTok is the access it gives us to connect with others along with it opening up a lot of opportunities for many people.

“I think it had more of a positive impact and changed a lot of people’s lives for the better,” Jones said.

Jones states that over the years  TikTok has affected people in a positive way more than a negative way. She follows this up by  giving us an example of people making money from it, her personal happiness on TikTok, others’ happiness/laughter, and so much more.

“A lot of videos uploaded to different sites are originally from TikTok, and I also feel as if people would look for TikTok qualities in all other platforms,” Jones said.

Jones believes that people will still find ways to keep TikTok alive rather than just let it go.

“They shouldn’t do it again, that was unnecessary,” Junior Cherish Brooks said.

Cherish thinks the whole temporarily banning TikTok thing was a waste of time and that it was unnecessary.

“No I haven’t, but, I love when I can relate to a person or a tik tok”

Brook states that she personally has never made a TikTok of her own, but she likes it when she can relate to TikTok and the people on it. 

“If tik tok was banned, people would probably be on social media a little bit less”

Brooks believes that if TikTok were to go away, then people would probably be on social media less.

“If TikTok was gone permanently, people would probably just use Instagram.”

Brooks also believes that Instagram would be people’s next go-to app if TikTok were to ever get banned.

These 2 students both enjoy TikTok and believe that it should stay as not only entertainment but also a source of income.