While scrolling on their For You Page (FYP) in recent weeks, TikTok users have seen countless creators begging their followers to follow them on other social media platforms in case the national TikTok ban comes to fruition, a case that has become increasingly plausible as the deadline nears.
On January 10, 2025, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding a law signed by Joe Biden last April, which says that if ByteDance — a Chinese company — doesn’t sell TikTok, the app will be banned in the U.S. on January 19, 2025, due to national security and data privacy concerns. If no one buys TikTok from ByteDance by that date, the app won’t disappear from users’ phones immediately, but new users won’t be able to download it from the app stores. Additionally, TikTok will no longer be able to update, meaning that over time, its features will become outdated, and the app will eventually become unusable.
As the deadline quickly approaches, students shared their thoughts about the ban and how it could affect their everyday lives.
Jade McRae ’26 feels “devastated.” She continued, saying, “TikTok is my most-used app on my phone, and I find myself on it anytime I’m bored.” For McRae, TikTok isn’t just an app to scroll on to find funny videos, but also a place that holds an endless amount of memories. “I’ve had TikTok since it took over and replaced Musically in 2018, and I have so many drafts and videos of me and my friends or me and my sisters from when I was literally 10 years old to now, so it’s sad to know all of those memories could go away really soon,” she explained.
Max Steward ’26 said the app is different from its competitors and that the algorithm and his For You Page can’t be replicated.
“YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels are fine options— the videos that I see on there are funny — but the TikTok FYP feels more catered to me and not just random videos,” he noted. He continued, “I know it’s probably gonna end up happening, but I can’t see everyone just using Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts casually. It’s not [going to] feel the same.”
To many, TikTok isn’t just an app for dancing or to participate in the latest trends. It is also a way to make money through the Creator Fund which allows creators to monetize their videos.
Dean Simpson ’26 stated, “It’s unfair when people say that TikTok is just an app for fun and that’s why it’s okay to ban, when people actually created a living off of it. I’m not 18, so I’m not in the Creator Fund, but it’s an easy way [for people] to make an extra $1000 a month to help support themselves just by posting daily videos online. A lot of small businesses also use the app to help promote themselves for free, and I think this ban will do more harm to the average person than good.”
Others, like Miles Wilkins ’25, still enjoy the app but see the positives to the ban.
Wilkins said, “I spend so much time on TikTok, but maybe if the app was banned I could use the time I would’ve been spending scrolling actually doing something productive or starting my homework earlier.”
