Is TikTok Running Out Of Time? Here’s What We Know
Ashley Perulena, a 19-year-old studying psychology at Hialeah Campus, was crushed when TikTok went dark this past Saturday.
“It just made me sad because TikTok was when I could just be by myself and scroll until I was bored,” Perulena said.
Perulena was one of more than 170 million American users who were unable to access their accounts after the application voluntarily shut down on Jan. 18, a day before an intended ban went into effect, and it was removed from app stores.
Instead of the normal content, users were greeted with the following message: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
While some—the few who still had momentary access—furiously started downloading their videos, others took a more maniac approach and called 911 to voice their complaints or profess their love for the platform.
Many joined Xiaohongshu (Red Note), a Chinese social media platform, as a form of rebellion against the United States government.
“I think it will honestly be good for [students] because then we’ll be focusing more on homework and stuff instead of just doom scrolling on TikTok,” said Jane Vega, a speech pathology student at North Campus. “I still do miss it though, to be honest, but I think it’ll be good for us.”
However the hysteria was short-lived—about 12 hours later the app came back online: “Welcome back! Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”
This isn’t the first time TikTok has almost slipped out of the hands of American users.
In 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump signed two executive orders to ban TikTok for national security concerns unless its parent company, ByteDance, sold the platform to a U.S. buyer.
The following year, President Joe Biden revoked the orders.
However, in 2022, Biden signed the “No TikTok on Government Devices Act” due to data privacy and national security concerns expressed by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Two years later, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban with bipartisan support, stating that American companies can’t share TikTok content unless it’s sold to a U.S. buyer.
At the time, the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, said the application was not for sale.
On Jan. 20—the first day of Trump’s second presidential term—he issued a 75-day delay on the ban, but the app remains unavailable for download in the app store.
What will happen with TikTok is still up in the air. Will it be sold? Will American users still be allowed to access it?
“Regardless of what happened, I am happy to have my daily scroll back, my little bundle of joy,” said Alejandra Quiroz, who creates social media content for The Reporter.
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