On Wednesday, April 17, President Joe Biden approved a bill giving TikTok company ByteDance two options: sell TikTok to an approved buyer or see its ban in the United States. This ban would affect not only its social media users, many of whom are teenagers but also influencers whose primary source of income is TikTok and businesses that promote their products or services on social media.
TikTok has been around since 2016 and has become increasingly popular, especially in the United States, which has the largest number of users on the platform. The app has integrated into the lives of many, and people seem to have mixed feelings about its banning in the US. Freshman Lila McElroy shares her opinion on the app and how it affects her daily life.
“TikTok is my pastime. It is something for me to do when I am alone and have nothing else to do. But sometimes it is also a distraction. I’m on TikTok when I should be doing my homework or schoolwork. I think it has become a large part of my life, where I feel like I don’t know what to do when I am not on it,” McElroy said.
With TikTok playing a large role in many people’s lives, its ban will significantly impact how individuals spend their time and connect with others in society. McElroy expands on how TikTok will affect her social life.
“I think banning TikTok would benefit my social life. I would spend less time on my phone when I am with my friends. I would have better conversations and have a better time with the people around me. I would worry less about what other people are doing and more about what I am doing. I wouldn’t let trends and things I see online affect how I spend time with my friends and family,” McElroy said.
TikTok’s ban would affect not only its teenage users but also businesses and influencers that rely on the app as a source of income. Sophomore Noga Nathaniel highlights how this ban would adversely affect businesses.
“I think it would negatively affect businesses and influencers as they would lose a big source of marketing and customers,” Nathaniel said.
While TikTok may have flaws, not everyone feels the app should be banned. Nathaniel feels that this ban would not be something that benefits her.
“I am against banning TikTok and I think it’s useless to ban it. It’s not harmful and a good source of entertainment,” Nathaniel said.
Though TikTok has integrated itself into the lives of many and plays a large role in teenagers’ lives especially, its ban has the potential to alter teenagers’ mental health. McElroy discusses how her mental health would be improved if TikTok was removed from the US.
“Banning TikTok would be beneficial for my mental health because I would stop comparing myself to other people. I would focus more on myself and the people around me. I think it is important to not feel pressured by social media all of the time, and banning TikTok would relieve my pressure to follow the crowd and constantly try to be like other people,” McElroy said.
