On Jan. 18, 170 million Americans were left in despair as the popular social media app, TikTok, was officially  banned in the United States (US). When users opened up the app, they were met with an unfortunate message stating,  “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

Concerns about TikTok’s security originated in 2020, when President Donald Trump requested for the shutdown of the app. On Aug. 6, 2020, Trump signed an executive order that pressured TikTok into selling to a US buyer. His attempts were ultimately unsuccessful, and TikTok continued to thrive in America for the following five years.

Four years after Trump’s initial attempt, during April of 2024, the House of Representatives brought the issue back, and passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Once again, the concern remained the same with the issue of TikTok being a national security risk. The act essentially required ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US-approved buyer in order to continue the app’s operation in the US. After the act was passed, TikTok and ByteDance then decided to sue the US government, claiming that the act was unconstitutional as it attempted to restrict freedom of speech, a right established in the First Amendment. The dispute made its way to the Supreme Court, where the Court unanimously ruled against TikTok, rejecting its claim that the law limited First Amendment rights.

On Jan. 18, the day after the Court rejected TikTok’s claim, TikTok was officially banned as the app stopped working across the US. 170 million TikTok users were devastated as the app was shut down, especially influencers and business-owners who were dependent on the platform for their work. The ban left users appalled, with some arguing that the ban was unreasonable as there was no concrete evidence of security risks. “It’s hard to see evidence directly of what [the US government is] claiming.,” said Mr. Farley, an Upper School history teacher and regular user of TikTok.

However, just 12 hours after the ban was initiated, users were greeted with a message on TikTok that read: “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US!” President Trump had signed an executive order that granted TikTok another 75-day extension to either sell or ban the platform. Many TikTok users have commented about Trump’s sudden change of heart, and have suspected that his motive is to come out on top as the ‘hero’ who saved the platform. “It’s a way of getting popular support,” said Mr. Farley. The 75-day extension is still currently active as Americans continue to wait for TikTok’s decision.