The future of the popular platform, TikTok, has fallen into the hands of the Senate. The app is rumored to be banned in the U.S. by the end of 2024, possibly much sooner than any of us can anticipate as news over this matter is being actively released.
While this development will have the biggest impact on influencers who use the platform as income, TikTok users who regularly use the app for their own amusement have their own complaints. Some are unable to handle the news and feel stressed and enraged while still having hope that the addictive app won’t get banned.
All that being said, how do MCHS students feel about the situation that will impact the entire nation?
People of all ages, but mainly teens and adults, have become addicted to the motions of scrolling through TikTok, tapping away on their phone screens for hours upon hours and needing the constant reminder to take a break.
82.4% of Middle College students use TikTok, and just within that percentage, 11.8% utilize it for more than 6 hours daily.
News about the ban has frequent users concerned about how they will receive their daily dose of entertainment and be able to de-stress after a long day. The results of a school-wide survey I conducted proved a large percentage of MCHS students resonate with this sentiment.
“TikTok is where I get my humor and my entertainment. I don’t know what I’m going to do after TikTok, I’ll probably hit up Insta reels,” an anonymous student responder said.
However, not all students believe TikTok’s ban will produce only negative outcomes. Some students are already seeing the positive side of this development.
“I already spend so much time on the app that it’s taking my attention from school work or any social outing. With the ban, I will be able to get off the phone more and get back to living a more present life,” another Middle College student said.
Senior Kimberly Rincon is a regular TikTok user who spends an average of three hours a day on the app. She believes that both positive and negative changes will come to her life after losing TikTok.
“I think it will affect my inspiration as I get a lot of it from there but will probably make me feel better mentally since I waste so much of my time on there,” Rincon said.
Students are realizing how much of their time is going towards the internet, specifically TikTok, and want to change that part of their daily lives. All that time could be used for something more productive.
Senior Vania Perez usually uses TikTok for three hours a day. She believes that in the absence of TikTok, users who consider it a hobby to scroll through the app might have difficulty finding something else to do during their free time.
“I think it will affect some people in terms of getting a hobby or something like that or they’ll just hop over to Instagram reels. Personally, I don’t think it’ll affect me much,” Perez said.
Those who use the app for fun and to pass the time can simply turn to other platforms, and it’s not a big deal. Instagram reels, for example, is a popular platform not much different from TikTok that many use interchangeably.
However, it’s already evident that not everyone will be able to handle and adapt to this change and many will struggle to find a new hobby that’s more productive.
While it hasn’t been set in stone yet, there’s no doubt that TikTok is headed towards its demise soon. The chances that it won’t get banned are minimal, but users are still holding onto that sliver of hope.
