Following a recent Supreme Court hearing, it seems clear that TikTok will be shutting down their platform this Sunday. The social media app has 170 million users in America, many of whom are high schoolers. Many students at DeMatha are predictably and understandably unhappy with the move. DeMatha senior Aleko Rodousakis shared his perspective that many can relate to, saying, “If I have some free time, I’ll be on TikTok.”
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed interest in keeping TikTok around, which is the reason why those pushing to ban the app want to get it done before his inauguration. As of January 17, it looks like the Biden administration is deferring the decision to the Trump administration. The push for the move is primarily being made by the Senate, and many have pointed out that many senators have shown that they are unfamiliar with social media as a whole. The worry is that TikTok, a Chinese-owned app, is using the platform to spy on the United States. TikTok was given major credit for playing a part in the 2024 election and influencing voters, sparking mixed reviews among voters and politicians.
Many young people have used social media, especially TikTok, to make money and grow their future careers. The short video content style on TikTok kept people more engaged than the long-form style of YouTube or the photo-focused style of Instagram. According to junior Nathan Schneier, “It has a better algorithm and more variety of content.” There are multiple apps on social media that have tried to recreate TikTok, such as reels on Instagram, YouTube shorts, or new apps like Red Note and Neptune that many are discussing as the places to move after the ban. A lot of these apps are looking to capitalize on a major opportunity.
If the app is banned, it likely won’t be immediately removed from everyone’s phone, but the lack of updates will cause the app to slowly die. The last time a major app left the app store was Vine in 2017 after it was discontinued due to many big creators leaving the app, leading to a major decline in users. TikTok is at a very different point. It is arguably the fastest growing app in the world, making the ban of the app unprecedented. The students at DeMatha echo the feelings of many.
