It has been announced that there will be a nationwide ban on the popular social media app, TikTok, due to links to Chinese states. The ban will take place January 19th, 2025, but the question is: Is this really necessary?

This is raising many questions for all Americans like: With this app being an addiction to many people across the world, it will probably be good for us, right? What about the people who get their main source of income from TikTok? What will the job market in the U.S look like after this?

It is true that TikTok is a very addictive app as it raises dopamine and causes people to feel good, leading them to spend many hours a day on the app. “I spend at least 3 hours on TikTok a day,” says senior Tyler Lawson. According to TikTok, on average people spend 95 minutes on the app a day, opening it about 8 times throughout the day.

There are many issues with spending a long time in front of a screen per day, like interrupted sleep, fatigue, loss of motivation, etc. TikTok is a big factor in the amount of screen time people consume per day.

So, this is a good thing, right? Well, there are pros to this ban, but there are also many cons.

“Isn’t this going against our right as an American for freedom of speech?” stated senior Lily Griffith. Banning TikTok will eliminate a place for Americans to be heard and would take away freedom of speech from hundreds of millions of Americans who use TikTok to express themselves, for communication, and even to make a living.         

There are thousands of people in America who depend on TikTok for their income. A TikTok ban would likely result in job losses and would therefore damage the economy.  

The question is: Do the pros really outweigh the cons? How will this affect our country as TikTok has been seen as a staple for the last 7 years?

I do not see this being the end of apps like TikTok. Many different social media platforms have changed the outline of their app to match TikTok more, such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. I predict there will be an app that will replace TikTok.