TikTok was banned for 12 hours on January 19th. The short-lived ban ended briefly in the US with a message stating, “Thanks for your patience and support,” the pop-up read. “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” Users responded with many questions regarding the fate of the app. Is the resurfacing of the app in the US just as temporary as the ban was? And more importantly, why should we care? Besides the fact that much of the average teenager’s afternoon is spent on TikTok, the threats are bigger than just a decrease in our attention span.
In China, their version of TikTok falls under a different name: Douyin. Many Americans are alarmed that the app has its own limits on users’ screen time, while a main feature of TikTok is its infinitude – that is, the ability to scroll endlessly. “Douyin imposed a 40-minute daily limit for users under 14,” Says Zeyi Yang from MIT Technology Review. “Last year, Chinese regulators introduced a rule that would limit children under age 18 to two hours of smartphone screen time each day.” The review continues, claiming that, “They must know something we don’t know about the app.” In reality, it is much simpler than that. Of course, an app whose algorithm is designed to feature personalized content may be addictive to teens who have heightened dopamine responses. The problem lies more in the potential risks being posed by the sharing of our data on how we spend our time. The release of such data worried US national security officials and motivated President Trump to advocate for a ban in 2020. At the time, he urged ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to sell the app to the US. Despite ByteDance’s rejection of this deal, the ban was unsuccessful and the app remained accessible.
It is still unclear what occurred to secure the app’s resurgence in the US after its’ 12-hour absence other than Donald Trump signing an executive order issuing a 75-day extension until TikTok is banned. During these 75 days, ByteDance may reconsider the original offer made in 2020 to sell the majority of the app to an American owner. Many speculate that Elon Musk or Oracle may be discussing a deal that would base TikTok in the US. However, the question remains: who will negotiate a deal to save TikTok and become Gen Z’s superhero?
