In August of 2014, an app called Musically was released. Within less than a year, millions of people across the world were lip-syncing and dancing to trending songs, hoping to go viral. In 2018, Musically shut down and morphed into TikTok, now one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. This app has drawn more than 170 million people into its grasp of storytelling, comedy, music, inspiration, and more. People feed off of this app, spending hours at a time scrolling or making videos in hopes to get a lot of likes. But what are people doing now that their obsession might be taken away?
The Supreme Court has found that TikTok may be the source of several problems in the U.S. including things like the increase in self-harm and suicide in our youth. They believe that the app is almost like an addiction and that teens and children are most vulnerable to this “trap.” Although this may seem like the larger concern, another reason this app may be banned is because there is evidence that suggests China is stealing data and using information by manipulating the complicated algorithm on TikTok. The algorithm can not only bring you videos based on what you like, but also what you say. “TikTok is listening to you.” they say. If you talk about craving pizza, your phone might just show you a few videos about some hot cheese pizza to match your mindset. This is a bit scary when you think about it, so it’s understandable how concerned the government is. Although this seems like an easy fix, ban TikTok and save ourselves from damage that can’t be undone, this is a much more complicated decision than you’d think.
Many people have begun to build a lifestyle from TikTok. People who go viral and become TikTok famous can monetize their videos based on likes, comments, and views. Some people rely solely on TikTok for income and others use it to promote their businesses which is crucial for their sales. Although it may seem that the solution to the entirety of this problem is banning TikTok, that could mean a harsh blow to our economy. People being without jobs will lead to homelessness which may not outweigh the pros of banning TikTok.
Students have a multitude of strong opinions about this topic. One student said, “TikTok provides comfort and relatability to teenagers, which is important for their upbringing.” Another student counters with “It’s a good thing they’re banning TikTok because it’s killing people. All day people are looking at other people’s lives seeing only the good parts and feeling bad about theirs. This is really bad for mental health.” While both sides of the argument are true, there’s only one way we will know if TikTok is getting banned. In the coming weeks, the Supreme Court will make their decision about TikTok’s fate, and it could be over after its six year reign over our youth.
