TikTok: Coming and Going

By: Ayesha Afghan 

On January 18th, at 10 EST, TikTok went black. 

On January 19th, at 14 EST, TikTok was back.

When the Chinese social media app merged with Music.ly in 2017, it was undoubtedly off to a rocky start. The much-adored app, now renamed and rebranded, had its fair share of critics. However, with a new wave of Gen-Z users, TikTok would rise from a backwater, teenage niche to a global sensation. The praise and usage of TikTok increased nearly exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic- when doors closed and stores shut down, phones were unlocked.

The earliest “siege” on TikTok occurred in early 2019 when the United States government filed federal charges against the app for violating U.S. child privacy laws. However, TikTok, in the upswing of the century, chose to simply settle, paying a fine of $5.7 million- a sum nearly inconsequential for an app valued at over $50 billion at the time of the suit. Despite the charges being settled, it seemed the antagonization of TikTok had only just begun.

Many news outlets began reporting on the strange filtration of TikTok’s content in the fall of 2019. The Washington Post found that, while highly popularized on almost every other social media platform, images of Hongkok protests and police takedowns were completely hidden from the TikTok algorithm. In tandem, The Guardian reported finding internal documents, allegedly detailing how TikTok instructs its moderators to delete or limit the reach of videos touching on topics sensitive to China, such as riots and protests. The fire only continued, with U.S. politicians beginning to raise red flags about TikTok’s influence. They would call for federal investigations of its Musical.ly acquisition and a national security check into TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps, which would begin in November. 

After former President Joe Biden took control of office in November 2020, discussion on TikTok ceased. But tensions continued to rise, following statements by government officials. By March of 2023, TikTok was being grilled during a six-hour congressional hearing, one that instantly exploded on the platform. A year of relative silence passed, until March 2024, when a bill regarding TikTok began rounding up support.

Contrary to common belief, the bill was not to ban the app. The bill was a ban-or-sell bill. As the stated reason for concern was data usage and absorption by the Chinese government, the U.S. government made an escape route for the app- to sell TikTok to the U.S. within a year. Needless to say, the parent company refused.

By the end of 2024, it was increasingly clear that users would have to say goodbye to the beloved app, despite President Trump, elected at the time, asking for a grace period, enabling his administration to reach a political solution. 

On January 17, 2025, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the federal law banning TikTok, unless sold by its China-based parent company. They held that the risk to national security posed by its ties to China overcomes concerns about limiting speech by the app. The ban is cleared to set into effect on January 19, 2025.

Chaos. The app was suddenly flooded with worries, fears, and outrage at the decision, specifically posted by influencers. Many who had abandoned traditional careers in favor of their social successes found themselves in a precarious situation, with expensive lifestyles and family expenses now hanging in the balance. A trend began amongst popular personalities in which they revealed personal and/or career secrets, ranging from the mundane to absolutely career-shattering. Needless to say, when the app was subsequently revived, 16 hours after being put into effect, many of these videos were deleted immediately.

After his inauguration on January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order, decreeing that the Attorney General should not take any action to enforce the TikTok ban-or-sell bill for a period of 75 days. 

Though a majority of TikTokers have returned to the app and their previous lives, many still remain concerned about the impending threat of what is to come when the grace period passes.