In recent years, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media apps, allowing users to create, watch, and interact with short videos. Its combination of personalized content allows users to watch videos that not only interest them, but also teach them a variety of things. However, numerous allegations from the American government suggest that the app could be used by the Chinese government to collect information and spy on Americans, a concern that has led to the threat of a TikTok ban for years.

Created in 2017, TikTok originally started as an app called Musical.ly, which was later bought by a Chinese company called ByteDance. The company then rebranded it with the name almost everyone knows today: TikTok. While the app quickly grew in popularity, it also emerged as a potential national security threat.

“I don’t think it’s only TikTok that is sharing personal information. I think other [Chinese] apps such as Shein and Temu are involved in it too,” said FCHS senior Marley Rochester.

The potential threat gained so much attention that President Joe Biden eventually signed a law on April 24, 2024, claiming that if ByteDance did not sell TikTok within 270 days, it would be banned and removed from all app stores. If the app were removed, it would limit new downloads and prevent it from expanding in the United States. As a result, many Americans, particularly teens, have been concerned.

“I would really be upset if TikTok was banned. I’ve had the app since the fifth grade, so it would feel weird without it,” said junior Molly Cook.

With that being said, there are almost one billion monthly TikTok visits, with teens and millennials being the top users. Many are interested in the app because it allows young people to express themselves creatively and lets them explore their identities. Other teen users just use the app as a source of entertainment and escapism, which allows them to enjoy content that resonates with their interests.

A few days before the scheduled ban, ByteDance had yet to sell TikTok, causing app users to grow concerned. Then, on Jan. 17 of this year, the app’s legal team and lawyers from the Justice Department gathered before the Supreme Court in a hearing. In this hearing, TikTok’s lawyers argued that deleting the app would violate the First Amendment rights of both users and the company. On the other side of the case, the Justice Department kept pushing that the app posed a national security risk because it could be used to gather personal information and locations. Both of these concerns are very consequential, but the Supreme Court had to decide whether the issue was about ownership or content.

In the end, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the federal law banning TikTok unless it was sold by ByteDance. This meant that under legislative action and executive pressure, the ban would still be in effect on Jan. 19.

Then, on the night before the scheduled ban, a message popped up on every user’s screen stating, “Sorry, TikTok is not available right now. Unfortunately, that means you cannot use TikTok for now.” The app had gone fully dark just hours before the real ban. This caused a huge uproar throughout the country, preventing people from accessing the app and even deleting it from app stores.

“With the app being gone for a day, it showed how addicted people were, including myself. It made me upset that I could not access it for a little bit,” said junior Carson Johnston.

The effect of TikTok’s ban only lasted 14 hours, and the app mysteriously returned in the afternoon of Jan. 19. The company decided to restore the app after President Trump made a post on his Truth Social network vowing to put a pause on the law. This pause was because Trump claimed he would extend the liability shield to tech companies that supported TikTok while the app’s future was worked out.

Then, on Jan. 20, the day Trump took office, he signed an executive order to pause enforcing the ban for 75 days. This was done so that Trump and his administration would have enough time to make an appropriate decision on what to do with TikTok. One of his many thoughts on saving TikTok was for the United States to at least own 50% of it. If this were to happen, the order might quickly face legal problems, such as questions about whether a president can stop a federal law from being enforced.

What does this mean for users? Interviewed in USA Today, Senior Scholar at the International Center for Law & Economics Ben Sperry said the executive order falls into a “gray area.” USA Today noted that “Under federal law, it remains illegal for U.S. companies, like internet hosting services and app stores, to maintain, distribute and update TikTok, as the platform remains owned by Chinese company ByteDance.” They also noted that Sperry explained that Trump’s pause in enforcing the ban until April 5 “invites companies to ‘break’ this law, under the impression they will not face repercussions.”

So by the time Fluvanna students return from spring break on April 7, they’ll know whether to expect their TikTok apps to once again go dark, or continue as if nothing happened.