By: Henry Wei

The ban on TikTok in the United States is causing a lot of concern for users. TikTok, which is a social media platform for short videos, is being monitored by U.S. leaders because they think that China can get users’ personal info from it. The government wants TikTok to sell to an approved company or get banned at the beginning of 2025.

This problem started in 2022 with data security concerns. The U.S. government thinks that ByteDance might be required to give personal user data to the Chinese government because China’s laws allow the government to secretly acquire data from companies. Even though TikTok says it protects user data and doesn’t share it with any entities, the U.S. government does not believe it. Since 121 million people in the U.S. use TikTok, concerns over the data of Americans are very significant.

A lot of people have different opinions on the ban. According to The New York Times, teenagers and people that use TikTok do not want it to banned. They scroll through TikTok a lot so if it gets banned, they would have to find another platform. However, some people do want it to be banned. They think that China will steal their personal information and that of Americans.

The forced sale of TikTok to a U.S. approved company can stop China from getting info about America’s secrets. Companies like Microsoft or Oracle are considered potential buyers. If they buy the platform, TikTok can very likely continue its operations in America. However, in the event TikTok is not sold, there are still legal cases to be addressed such as First Amendment protections, so people are not sure what will happen to TikTok.

Right now, no one knows with certainty what will happen. There are ongoing talks and pending court cases. Whether it continues under new management or faces a ban, the app’s impact on social media is undeniably huge.