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Editor’s note: The TikTok ban took effect on Jan. 19. While U.S. users can still access the app on their phones, it has been removed from app stores. The incoming president says he plans to save the app with an executive order after he is sworn into office today, Jan. 20.
Love watching millions of videos on TikTok? Well get that scrolling time in now, because in just a few short days TikTok may be no more. Sort of, anyway.
What is the TikTok ban?
The China-based company, ByteDance, is required to sell their U.S. operations of TikTok by Jan. 19. If they do not, the app will be banned in the U.S. Lawmakers are concerned that the Chinese government could have access to Americans’ data through the TikTok app and misuse it. Will the app disappear from your phone on Sunday? No. But it will probably disappear from app stores.
If you already have TikTok you can keep using it, but it will likely get pretty buggy, slow and less entertaining to use over time. Without the company being able to update the app, performance will degrade and eventually it will be incompatible with your phone’s operating system. So, Jan. 19 will not mark an abrupt end to TikTok, more like the beginning of its slow death.
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For more support and resources surrounding the youth mental health crisis, screen time and social media, and the importance of play, visit ParentMap’s Antidote for the Anxious Generation page. |
What will the ban mean for kids and families?
TikTok is used by 170 million people in the U.S., and over 50 million are younger than 15. Will the ban result in kids using social media less, help reduce their screen time or improve online safety? Maybe.
According to a recent survey, 50 percent of parents believe a TikTok ban will improve children’s safety online. While parents are split as to which social media app is the most dangerous for their kids, a whopping 98 percent believe social media networks are dangerous for children younger than 18 years old (for some pretty compelling and heartbreaking reasons). And, not surprisingly, 67 percent of parents believe legislation is necessary to protect children from the harms of social media.
But is banning TikTok the solution? Millions of youth use YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram every day too. So the looming question is: Will their digital behavior change because one app is gone, or will their use of other apps simply increase? Only time will tell. However, if more young social media users are pushed to Instagram, that might be a positive change thanks to the recent safety features Instagram rolled out for young users.
Plenty of folks concerned with free speech and internet safety think that, rather than ban specific apps, lawmakers should focus on passing legislation that increases online safety for kids, no matter what app they are using.
“It’s no secret that TikTok poses significant dangers to children,” says Titania Jordan, the CMO and Chief Parent Officer of Bark Technologies. “That said, if TikTok were to be banned, it would set a concerning precedent for the unjust regulation of free speech in the tech sector. And let’s not forget — TikTok is not the only offender. … This highlights the urgent need for thoughtful regulations to protect not only the general population but, most importantly, children.”
What happens next?
For the past several days TikTok users appear to be flocking to the Chinese social media app, RedNote. A live chat on RedNote called “TikTok Refugees” was joined by 50,000 people on Monday alone. Over 700,000 people joined RedNote in just two days, and U.S. downloads of the app were up more than 200 percent compared to this time last year.
There are also questions about how the incoming administration will respond to the ban (the deadline of Jan. 19 is President Biden’s last day in office). The incoming president has changed his tune over the past year when it comes to TikTok, and the CEO is attending the inauguration, perhaps indicating that this issue is far from settled.
No matter what happens, let’s all try to be mindful and demure.
