Audrey Manion ’26
On January 18, TikTok went dark for its nearly 170 million American users after the Supreme Court upheld Congress’s ban on the popular social media app. Just twelve hours after being enacted, though, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to postpone the ban as the U.S. continues to debate national security concerns and TikTok’s possible connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Calls for the app’s ban initially arose due to fears that TikTok’s Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, would misuse TikTok’s user data and share it with the CCP. In March 2023, Singaporean TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress regarding TikTok’s data protection policies. After further debate over the app, Congress introduced the ban-or-sale legislation in March 2024, stating that ByteDance would either have to sell TikTok to an American owner or face a nationwide ban. Despite backlash against the legislation, the bill received bipartisan support in Congress and was signed by former President Biden in April 2024. On January 17, 2025, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the federal ban on TikTok despite the company’s appeal, leading to the app “going dark” and being removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on January 18. Just one day later, President Trump signed an executive order to postpone the ban by 75 days while the app’s use continues to be debated in the U.S.
Regarding the concerns many in the U.S. government have felt, Upper School history teacher David Mercante says, “In the past decade, there has been growing concern about China’s influence and intentions. The justification for laws aimed at banning TikTok or forcing its sale often focuses on key issues: content manipulation and data collection.” As Mercante states, the two biggest concerns the U.S. government has over TikTok are “data collection”—TikTok collecting data from users and potentially using it harmfully—and “content manipulation”—revising the app’s algorithm to strategically promote certain content over others.
Photo courtesy of Harvard Law School
Addressing these concerns, Computer Science Department Chair Matthew Memmo says, “If you read [TikTok’s] terms of agreement, there’s a lot that you’re giving away—everything from keystrokes to location. And they’re not the only ones that are doing that, by the way—[the] problem is that they’re in China and the Chinese government has some precedents in the past where they forced companies to share things with them.”
Regarding the fear of content manipulation, Memmo continues, “The other fear that is maybe even more harmful, potentially, is if [Tiktok] use[s] the algorithm to kind of subtly send propaganda information or steer news [in] the content you get to talk about a certain narrative.”
Many members of the U.S. government are particularly worried about these fears because of TikTok’s ownership by a Chinese company, which could potentially be subject to demands from the CCP. Mercante adds, “These issues wouldn’t draw the same level of attention if TikTok were owned by a company based in a country considered friendly to the U.S., like Canada or a Western European nation.”
After a short-lived ban attempt cut short by Trump’s executive order, TikTok remains operational in the U.S., but its future is uncertain. Large tech companies like Microsoft and Oracle have already expressed interest in gaining access to TikTok’s U.S. operations under the ban-or-sale policy Biden signed, but no finalized deal has been accepted. Trump’s stance on keeping TikTok accessible appeals to the wishes of younger audiences, who comprise a large portion of the app’s user base and have contributed to significant backlash against the ban. Mercante comments, “While the public may support the decision not to enforce the ban, it raises concerns about whether future administrations might selectively enforce laws based on political or public sentiment.”
For millions of young Americans, TikTok is more than just another social media platform; it is an area for expression, community, and economic opportunity. Losing TikTok would mean losing access to an online space that has become deeply integrated into the daily lives of many. Michael Dimonte ’25, who is a TikTok creator, explains, “I would lose the majority of my followers. I have 3,300 on TikTok and only 200 on my Instagram that I use for content, so I would lose most of those people. Also, even though it’s not super active right now, I just got monetized. I offer subscriptions and do TikTok Lives where I can get gifts, so I would also lose that source of revenue.”
Photo courtesy of @itsmikedimo on Tikok
Beyond financial opportunities, TikTok has become a major part of users’ routines. Eliana DeGennaro ’26, another TikTok user, remarks, “I am an avid TikTok user. I use it every day for multiple hours. I am both a consumer and a creator on TikTok.” When the ban was announced, many users were initially in disbelief. DeGennaro continues, “I was in denial when it happened because I was unsure how it would affect my daily life since I use it so often. I felt upset and felt like something that should be a piece of creativity, freedom of speech, news, and entertainment was taken away from me.”
While many people feel that TikTok is a place for self-expression, many others see TikTok as a harmful app due to its addictive nature. Addressing both sides of the issue, Memmo adds, “All teenagers kind of know this, but they still go [on TikTok]: it’s very addictive. It produces anxiety…Not to say there are not some positives, though. I mean, personally, I love to use it to find recipes, travel information, and sports stuff, but that algorithm is addictive and could be a time drain. [I] think technology companies have an ethical responsibility to do something about that. I don’t see that happening though, because these are all for-profit companies. They want to make money, and they make money by having you stay on their application longer.”
In addition, TikTok has also become a vital source of advertisement and income for many Americans. Memmo explains, “Small businesses that use it for advertising in the United States, there’s content creators who make a living off of that. And they are actually really fearful.”
The TikTok ban also raises questions with regard to freedom of speech in the context of regulating technology. Mercante comments, “The TikTok debate highlights the challenges of regulating technology in a way that balances national security and democratic values like free speech…TikTok, for instance, operates as both a business and a space for public discourse, which complicates regulatory efforts.”
As the debate over TikTok continues, its future within the U.S. remains uncertain. Until a final decision is made, millions of users continue to create, connect, and engage with TikTok. The U.S. government will continue to debate national security issues, freedom of speech, and the increasing role of technology and social media.