The negotiations about TikTok being banned took a turn this past weekend. The service had been shut off Saturday night but returned the next day. Here’s what RAHS students and staff have to say about the issue.
Peter Linabery (12) said, “I find it upsetting and concerning at just how attached people are to the app,” Robert Mechura (12) agrees with Linabery.
Adalide Marr (11) said, “I was sad to not be able to make TikTok’s anymore, I wanted to make TikTok’s this summer, I wanted to make transitions for my senior year.”
Marr also thinks that, “so much of our generation is very connected because of it, I didn’t realize how much we were connected and I got sad that I couldn’t go on if something big happened. TikTok doesn’t feel the same, it’s all political, it’s scary.”
Natalie Horseman (12) said, “I was really upset because I had 7,000 saved audios, when I got it back I was happy, but my algorithm is not mine.”
Users who opened the app after 9:30pm on Saturday were greeted with this message “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that president Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution…”
TikTok is no longer available in the App Store or Google play stores, making users who deleted the app frustrated. Tiktok is unavailable in the App Store because of the legality of the issue, if something bad were to happen and TikTok was still up, phone companies like Apple could get in trouble, this is making the situation muddy.
The TikTok situation left users searching for a new platform, Red Note (Xiaohongshu), which became a popular switch as it is the Chinese owned version of TikTok and very similar.
The TikTok Ban Bill went through Congress and the Supreme Court. It was then signed by President Joe Biden at the time. Trump put the ban on hold for 75 days which is why TikTok is available if the app is downloaded.
The executive board agreed that TikTok should be American owned. During the TikTok hold for 75 days, TikTok will be open for offers by American companies.
According to BBC News, “names linked with buying TikTok include billionaire Frank McCourt and the Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary – a celebrity investor on Shark Tank, the US version of Dragon’s Den. MrBeast – claimed he was in the running after a number of investors contacted him following an earlier tweet signaling his interest.”
Additionally, many are worried about what this does for the country as Trump can say no to the ban and stop it even though it went through the Supreme Court, Senate, Congress, and House.
