The clock is ticking for viral social media platform TikTok. With the government planning to potentially ban the app early in 2025, students at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy are wondering: is TikTok actually getting banned, or is this just another rumor?
TikTok started when Chinese company ByteDance bought the startup Musical.ly, founded by Alex Zhu, and merged it with ByteDance’s app, Douyin. Today, TikTok has an estimated 1.6 billion active monthly users worldwide, with 121 million of them located in the United States. However, its connection to China has raised concern for the U.S. government. The main problem lies in the Chinese government’s ability to collect data from TikTok users and use that data to spread propaganda.
In April 2024, President Biden signed a bill requiring TikTok to cut off its ties with ByteDance by January 19, 2025, or face a US ban. The company has attempted to appeal the ruling by claiming the law would be politically motivated and only based on false claims about Chinese surveillance. However, three federal judges rejected TikTok’s appeal.
Adding to the uncertainty, President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on January 20th, 2025, a day after the proposed ban, has claimed he will try to save the app. All of this uncertainty has left students questioning the app’s future.
The SCH student body expressed a wide range of opinions on the possible ban, with some students seeing benefits, and others feeling concerned about the negative impact.
Senior Ava Lanzetta, who enjoys TikTok, acknowledged how a ban could benefit her personally: “I feel like I’ll probably end up being more productive if TikTok gets banned because I spend too much time on it,” she said.
Though not an influencer himself, Alex Topping ‘25 sees how a ban could hurt those who built careers on the app. “If they have a large following on TikTok, but not a big following on sites like Instagram or YouTube it will obviously negatively affect the career,” he stated.
For Student Body Class President Taylor Foley, the potential ban is a huge setback. Having recently started her TikTok influencer journey with her food account @taylorstreatss, she fears losing the progress she’s made as an influencer. “The TikTok ban could mess up all my progress, and that’s upsetting,” she shared.
Junior Roman Bostick has a more neutral stance on the issue. “Honestly, it doesn’t affect me much since I don’t use TikTok. But I do think the concerns are valid. People who’ve built careers on TikTok might have a tough time if it gets banned, but I think they could transition to other platforms, though it would be challenging,” he said.
Some students are more aligned with the government’s stance on banning TikTok due to concerns about influence on young people. Senior Sam Tonkon expressed his belief that the app should be banned. “There are reports of TikTok pushing out pro-Hamas propaganda at a much higher rate than other content. I think it’s dangerous,” he said.
Other students see TikTok as an essential platform for self expression. “I think it would be a shame if TikTok were banned. It’s a platform where people express themselves and connect with others,” said Maille Colin ‘25.
For Haley Hamsher ‘25, TikTok is a place to relive memories: “I’m upset about the potential ban because I have so many saved drafts saved on my account that I am able to look back at and reminisce from time to time. Losing that would be hard,” Hamsher expressed.
Students are skeptical about the app actually getting banned since many rumors have come about in the past. Taylor Foley said she is sick of hearing TikTok ban rumors. “I do not believe that the ban will actually happen, because this has been said many times, and I stopped believing it after it happened the first couple of times,” she stated. Haley Hamsher shared similar views: “There’s been so much propaganda and fake news in previous years and months saying that it was gonna get banned. I’m trying not to entertain it because I feel as though this could be a whole other scheme.”
If TikTok is banned, where will users go? Senior Kenna Quinn believes people will find a way to continue their social media presence, on TikTok or not. “If TikTok gets banned, it will just move somewhere else. People are always going to find a way to say what they want,” she said. “I don’t really think it’s going to change much.”
For now, TikTok remains available and students are making the most out of the time they have with the app. Whether TikTok faces a ban or gets a last minute revival, the impact of this app will not go unnoticed.
Note: Follow SCH’s own student Taylor Foley @taylorsstreats on TikTok for food content.
