How The TikTok Ban Affects Students

TikTok, a popular social media video app, has been the subject of controversy over the past years globally. It has sparked debates regarding data security, privacy, and political censorship. The United States government has sought to ban TikTok due to allegations that the app poses a security threat.

TikTok is an extremely popular app among middle school students.

“I use it quite a bit, mainly when I’m bored to get my head away from things,” Jocelyn Hobbs, a seventh grade student, said.

Some students use it less because of the variety of content available.

“I used to use TikTok a lot until I saw some videos that a 7th grader should have not seen,”  Elijah Palma-Amador, a 7th grade student, said.

Given how much middle school students use the app, they have strong opinions about whether the app is a bad thing

“I don’t really think it is a bad thing,” Palma-Amador, said. “It can ruin attention spans and it has adult content on it that middle schoolers should not be seeing.”

Hobbs disagreed.

“It can be both,” she said. “Some people use it for good and then others use it for bad, just like everything else.”

TikTok, is owned by Chinese company ByteDance and has grown into one of the most popular social media apps worldwide, with over 1 billion active users. It allows users to create and share videos that range from music, dancing, comedy to political satire and the latest entertainment crazes.

Since the app is owned by a Chinese company, there is a concern that sensitive information could end up in the hands of the Chinese government.

“As long as it does not end up in a war, I think everything should be fine,” Palma-Amador said.

Hobbs is unconcerned.

“I do not put things into the app like personal information, so I don’t really care,” she said.

Despite the concern about TikTok being owned by a Chinese company, China is the third-largest trade partner of  the United States. Clearly, the US government is not worried about trade with China. So, what exactly is the issue?

“China has made everything I own and I shouldn’t care,” Palma-Amador said.

Hobbs agreed.

“It does not matter to me,” she said. “Many things we use are made by different countries so this is not any different.”

In the United States, the Trump administration tried to ban TikTok in 2020, citing national security concerns, but the ban was last blocked by a cour . However, the Biden administration has yet to make a final decision on the matter.

Whether the government even has the right to ban an app is a difficult legal question.

“If an app has something bad in it like crimes, they should have the power to ban it,” Hobbs said. “At the same time, if someone in the government just doesn’t like an app, they should not have the right to ban it for no reason.”

As of April 2023, 34 out of 50 states have announced or enacted bans on state government agencies, employees, and contractors using TikTok on government-issued devices. State bans only affect government employees and do not prohibit civilians from having or using the app on their personal devices.

The reason for these bans on government devices is simple: most apps collect user data, which can include anything from browsing history to location data. If ByteDance collects this data, it could share sensitive government information from the US with the Chinese government.

Should TikTok be banned nationwide, even on civilian devices?

“No, some people have memories on their TikTok accounts,” she said..”Even though some people use it for bad, does not mean everyone is to blame for their actions.”

Palma-Amador agreed.

“No, if it did that is all I would be hearing about is how it got banned and a lot of content characters are on them,” he said.