Less than 24 hours into the ban, TikTok was restored on Jan. 19 around noon and gave all American users a message vaguely explaining what had occurred.
The message said, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”
Now, TikTok has a 75 day extension for all current users. However, it is not available in the app store for downloading. Other closely related apps that were also owned by ByteDance – like CapCut and Lemon8 – are still banned, however, with no extension in sight.
Users are still very confused on what the future for TikTok is, but as of now there is no clear answer to what will happen when the extension expires.
On Jan. 19 President Joe Biden’s bid to ban TikTok is set to go into effect, but what does that mean for its millions of American users?
If the current owner, ByteDance, does not sell the app to an American company, TikTok will become an illegal app to download, forcing sites like Google and Apple to no longer provide it on any app store. This also means the app will become unusable as it can no longer update or receive any bug fixes. Currently, TikTok updates every few days to fix issues and provide a correct algorithm for its users. Without these updates, TikTok will cease to exist as the app will continue to crash on all of its users. This ban may lead to shutdowns of other Bytedance apps like Lemon8 and CapCut.
The reason TikTok is undergoing these legal repercussions is due to Bytedance being a Chinese company that has been collecting personal data from all of its users, data that could be potentially harmful if used against the United States.
Nevertheless, there’s a very big issue with taking away an app as influential as TikTok. Many Americans believe it is taking away their right to freedom of speech. It has also been one of the most popular social media apps for years, making its loss very impactful on Gen Z as it was a main source of communication across the globe.
However, new apps are already gaining popularity as replacements for TikTok. Currently, the biggest contender is the app Red Note, which ironically is also owned by a foreign company.
Still, there can be many positives found in light of the ban. Many find TikTok highly addictive, so, without it, room will be left for newfound time and opportunities.
“I think I’m going to be a lot happier when TikTok is gone. Yes, people will be sad for about a week, but then I think we will realize how much better off we are without it,” junior Anna McCann said.
