In August of 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning American companies from any transactions with ByteDance, the company that controls TikTok. This was the start of a years-long battle to ban TikTok in the United States, which still goes unresolved.
According to an SHS study of 120 students, 55.8% of students use TikTok every day. Even with the school’s Off-And-Away policy, TikTok has been a consistent distraction from schoolwork for many students.
“I personally think [TikTok] is very addictive and it is overused in class, and I see everyone on it and sending each other videos. I think it took away our education/our ability to focus on our actual work,” an anonymous student said.
However, 40.8% of students claim to never use TikTok during school hours, and an additional 37.5% claim to only use TikTok during 2+ or personal work time.
“In my opinion, I don’t think TikTok should be banned because it’s a way students get a break from everyday stress and anxiety,” junior Helaina Blumer-Resch said.
Regardless of differing opinions on the app, in January of 2025, the Supreme Court upheld a bill intended to ban TikTok, and late on Jan. 19, it went dark for all Americans.
However, less than 12 hours later, the app was back up and running, with a ‘thank-you’ message addressed to President Trump as users opened the app.
This was confusing to many, as President Trump has threatened to ban TikTok due to national security reasons multiple times. Some users online have called this a “hoax” or “stunt” to make President Trump appear heroic to younger generations, while others have hypothesized that President Trump will allow Elon Musk to purchase TikTok, much like his recent purchase of Twitter (now X).
This is in line with the values young people have in terms of the potential spyware that TikTok may have had in the first place. 75.8% of SHS students report that the Chinese ownership of TikTok has never been a security concern of theirs, and 90% of SHS students agree that banning TikTok should not be a priority for the U.S. government.
“The American government is embarrassing. The TikTok ban entirely proves that if the government wanted to get something done, it can happen fast. Why is a social media app our main focus and a large enough threat that it must be dealt with before the guns that are killing students and educators across the nation everyday?” an anonymous student said.
Additionally, many have pointed out the hypocrisy of the U.S. government’s concerns over the Chinese government stealing data from U.S. citizens while still allowing other American-owned apps to steal data.
“Other apps like Facebook and Instagram have been stealing our information as long as they have been on our phones, but because they are owned by the U.S. they are not a problem. We are heading towards a point in which we will be fully monitored by our government, and I expect it to get worse from here on out,” another anonymous student said.
Only 35% of SHS students agreed that the TikTok ban would have been a positive influence on students at school, as the consensus is that if it had been banned, people would only migrate to a different app.
“No matter what happens, something will always be there to replace it. It happened with Vine and now it’s happening with TikTok; RedNote will be its replacement. Students and multiple other people are already learning Mandarin and RedNote is accepting people with open arms. RedNote 2025,” junior Alex Schielzeth said.
RedNote, a social media app controlled by the Chinese government, is a popular replacement for TikTok, quickly becoming one of the most downloaded apps in America during preparation for the potential TikTok shutdown. Whether the government will also count this app as a security concern is unclear.
Although leaders in Washington continue to fight this battle, as of President Trump’s inauguration, TikTok seems to have a bright future in the United States.
