TikTok is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world, yet it’s facing a potential ban in the USA.

Two years ago, President Biden signed the “No TikTok on Government Devices Act,” which prohibits using TikTok on government employees’ phones. Now, the US government wants to make a law that bans it for all other people, unless it is sold to a non-Chinese company.

The US government is trying to ban TikTok due to concerns that the Chinese government could access personal user data through the app.  The US government fears that the owner of TikTok, ByteDance, could either be secretly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party or sell the data of 170 million US TikTok users to the Chinese government.  However, multiple reports have confirmed that ByteDance is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government; it’s merely located in China.

Leaders of the FBI, CIA, and the director of National Intelligence have been looking very deeply into this topic and have said that the threat posed by TikTok is “purely hypothetical.”

Regardless, the US would like TikTok to be sold to a non-Chinese party within this year. Specifically, TikTok stated that it would be forced to shut down or be sold by January 19, 2025, which is only a few months away.

Banning TikTok would be a massive deal because TikTok has approximately 170 million users in the United States daily, which is more than half the entire country.

TikTok has over 1 billion active users monthly. Out of these, 30% of users have purchased something from the TikTok shop. The TikTok Shop allows sellers to sell items through the app. Items in the shop include clothes, sports products, and even books. These items can also come at an amazing price and are usually valid.

People create so many amazing products on the TikTok shop, and new items are released daily. This ban would stifle the dreams of hard-working young entrepreneurs who sell items from the TikTok shop.

In addition, thousands of Americans would lose their jobs if TikTok was shut down because TikTok employs 38,578 people in America. Those people would lose their jobs and be forced to pursue another career if TikTok was shut down.

Moreover, tens of thousands of other people make a living off TikTok by being a TikTok influencer. The more views, followers, and likes they get on a video, the more they get paid.  Just under one-third of influencers make a full-time salary off of TikTok.

There is a category for everyone on TikTok, considering there are about 8.6 billion videos posted on the site. If you want to research a topic, you can simply search your interest, and hundreds of videos will pop up. Many use TikTok as a news source.

Many students at Saint Paul’s agree that TikTok should not be banned for this reason. “I love TikTok and use it daily.  The app provides valuable information for me.  Most of the news I receive is mostly from TikTok and not the news channels on T.V.,” said Saint Paul’s sophomore Reid Berthelot.

Berthelot is not the only one; 52% of TikTok users say they get their news from the app, up from 43% last year.  This ban would limit the knowledge of this 52% of people and make them less understanding of the current world news. 

About 63% of high school students use TikTok.  It is the most popular among teenagers because it creates a creative outlet for these teens. TikTok allows people to showcase their gifts and talents. 

Many TikTok creators share content related to mental health, providing support and raising awareness on important problems.  For example, TikTok therapist Julie Smith, one of the most famous therapists on TikTok, posts about these matters and is well-known as one of the best.  She helps millions of teenagers with their mental health as she currently has 4.7 million followers.

TikTok sensation Charli D’Amelio believes “banning TikTok would be a blow to the creative community and limit the voices that deserve to be heard.”

Another TikTok star, Addison Rae, says,” TikTok has connected people globally and provided a space for diverse talents to shine; banning it would stifle creativity.

Some legal experts believe that banning TikTok would also violate the First Amendment. This is one of the many reasons why the US government should not ban TikTok.