Almost every year Tik Tok goes through this “annual banning” rumor, but it’s never gone through. But since January 2024, the ban of Tik Tok has gotten a bit too serious.
Is Tik Tok getting banned? Well, according to the legislation, banning Tik Tok is a bit of an overstatement. The House voted on Wednesday 352-65 to approve a bill that would require ByteDance to sell the app to a U.S. company or then ban it on all U.S. devices.
But many people are debating whether this is a good thing idea or if selling Tik Tok to a U.S company would “destroy” the app. Tik Tok chief executive Shou Zi Chew even warned the app would give “more power to a handful of other social media companies, and several Americans’ jobs will be at risk.”
But why is the U.S so determined to ban Tik Tok?
“We are united in our concern about the national security threat posed by Tik Tok – a platform with enormous power to influence and divide Americans whose parent company ByteDance remains legally required to do the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party,” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, said in a joint statement.
Many staff and students in the community have thoughts on the ban, saying it would be good for people, but it’s not exactly because of security concerns.
“I think it would positively affect us and help me get out and do more instead of scrolling mindlessly through Tik Tok,” senior Madison Barnes said.
Everyone’s question though, “Is it getting banned?”
Well, many colleges have started blocking students from accessing it from campus Wi-Fi networks , and since March 8 Biden said that he would sign a Tik Tok ban if it secures approval in the Senate and reaches his desk, causing a debate with Former President Donald Trump who has said that he does not support the ban.
So where is the bill now you may be asking? Since March 15, it is at The Senate, where it’s not sure what will happen and according to many aren’t in a rush to send the bill to Biden.
But in the meantime, what are people in the community saying about the Tik Tok ban?
“I feel like a lot of people are connected through Tik Tok, so it’s kind of stupid to ban it when it’s a platform that helps you express yourself and connect with others,” sophomore Hayden Harris said.
Which is true. Tik Tok has caused many small businesses to get some sort of recognition, and there are many communities on it that people from everywhere are able to connect with. But others think that it would help today’s and future generations to get back into the real world.
“I think the Tik Tok ban would be really good for you guys to get back to reality,” Coach Wheeler said.
At the moment, it is unsure what will happen in the future with Tik Tok, but for now there’s two sides on whether it’s good or if we just need to be brought back into reality.
