Users of the platform TikTok were stunned on Jan. 18 as the app unexpectedly shut down less than two hours before the ban was supposed to be put in place. The app’s future was initially questioned during President Donald Trump’s first administration in 2020 as United States officials became concerned with the company’s roots and ownership.
TikTok, developed by the Chinese company ByteDance, is the international counterpart of Douyin, a short-form video platform in China. ByteDance bought the lip-syncing platform Musical.ly, popular in the U.S. and Europe, and combined it with TikTok to create the app that rose to fame worldwide.
In April 2024, former President Joe Biden signed legislation that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok under the threat of a ban. It was upheld in December 2024, giving the platform nine months from the legislation enactment date to sell and a three-month extension if a sale is in progress.
Sophomore Luanna Da Rocha and junior Katie Kowalsky were active users on both Musical.ly and TikTok, and they still went into the app as a reflex during its shutdown period.
“I found myself during the ban still clicking on the app because of how much I use it on a daily basis,” said Kowalsky.
Sophomore Meghan White did not have a TikTok account until the summer of 2024, with the potential ban being her incentive to engage with more content.
“I didn’t go on it that much, but then I started slowly going on it more, and when it was going to be banned, I was like, ‘no, not TikTok,’ as if I had this deep connection with it for years,” said White.
Da Rocha spoke about TikTok’s addictive quality and how it is a detriment to users’ attention spans. “People feel like they have to do things at two times speed nowadays because they’re so used to the continuous scrolling,” said Da Rocha. “The algorithm is very dangerous because it keeps you hooked; the whole point of the app is to keep you addicted.”
TikTok restored its services in the U.S. the next afternoon, with users getting the pop-up message mentioning Trump’s efforts as a reason why the app was back online. Before his inauguration, Trump said he planned to issue an executive order to give ByteDance more time to find an approved buyer before the ban takes full effect on his first day in office. This order is extending TikTok’s longevity until early April.

Source: Jessica Balogh, Arts and Entertainment Editor
TikTok and other apps, such as CapCut, affiliated with ByteDance are unavailable on both Apple and Google devices. Phones with the downloaded app are being listed for tens of thousands of dollars on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and other digital storefronts.
Freshman Andrew Solano credited TikTok for helping him transition into college life.
“Transitioning from high school to college has been a tough process and brought much pain with its new environment, new people and new situations that I’d have to solve myself,” said Solano. “With that, TikTok brought me on the path with its helpful videos about staying on track with psychologists that the school offered and show other people also have the same feelings.”
Da Rocha highlighted TikTok’s feeling of community, with elements such as BookTok and LGBTQ influencers that create relatable content.
“There’s a lot of things I’ve learned that I would have never learned otherwise. It’s also introduced me to a lot of new music, which is something I am passionate about,” said Da Rocha.
Kowalsky appreciates TikTok’s diversity in its range of content, touching on how this would be a key loss if the app were permanently banned. “I think I would miss the shorter form of content and the diversity of content that TikTok provides,” said Kowalsky. “A lot of shows and even YouTube channels I watch, I do not get nearly as diversely themed content as I do on TikTok.”
As of Jan. 26, the National Public Radio reported that software company Oracle and a group of outside investors are in the works of taking control over the platform’s global operations. Trump has denied this report, instead saying that he has spoken with numerous individuals who would like to purchase the app and will decide in the next 30 days, according to Mashable.
“TikTok had the feeling of being welcoming, the idea of laughter and having fun was embedded in each video. As well, it had its own trend to go off on. No other social media would be able to top that,” said Solano. “Proven by this is by how Instagram, YouTube and even Snapchat have made their apps have a similar TikTok feature.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.