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January 29, 2025
On July 31, 2020, President Donald Trump proposed there be a ban on popular social media app TikTok across the U.S. However, the ban was put on hold, as there were many concerns floating around about how this ban could limit free speech and liberty of expression.
Since then, rumors of TikTok getting banned have resurfaced multiple times a year, until things started looking serious in the tailend of 2024. When the TikTok ban became official, users began to mourn their beloved app. Consumers were already creating new accounts on other platforms to “replace” TikTok. On Jan. 18, 2025, the ban finally took place. The app was still present on users’ phones, but an official warning popped up, declaring that the app was no longer in service in the U.S., but would return soon.
TikTok's infamous logo set beside its supposed "savior," Donald Trump (Photo Credit: Sky News)
To many peoples’ surprise, “soon” was less than 24 hours later. In a short time frame of just about 13 hours, the app was up and running on American devices once again. When reopened, it greeted users with a “welcome back” message, crediting President Donald Trump for this resurgence. One thing many people don’t realize is Trump only extended the ban by 75 days. Whether or not the app will remain permanently viable in the American region is uncertain. However, users who had already deleted the app no longer have access to the social media platform, as it’s been removed from the American app store on all devices.
The app was first put on the chopping block due to concerns that the Chinese government was utilizing the app to receive American data from its many users in the U.S.. The company behind TikTok, ByteDance, received a plethora of accusations fueled by this paranoia. However, this idea hardly seems to scare a majority of users, as many have created accounts on Xiaohongshu, also known as Rednote, a Chinese app of similar structure, that harvests even more data from users' interactions.
While the future of TikTok is still uncertain, it’s unlikely that it will stick around. It is just as unlikely that Americans will let go of the app anytime soon. The battle between TikTok and the U.S. government has yet to come to a finish.
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