TikTok, a popular short-form content social media app, is having some serious trouble in America. In January 2025, the United States government officially banned TikTok for national security reasons.
The American government is concerned that TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, collects information about American users and influences them in things like political decisions and world views. In response, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) was signed into law in April 2024. According to this, ByteDance was forced to sell TikTok to an American company by January 19, 2025, or else the app would be banned in the U.S.
“I kinda agree with that because if we write some comments about China they immodestly ban us from TikTok,” said Jason Lee, a freshman at Del Mar.
ByteDance didn’t sell TikTok by the deadline, so on January 18, 2025, TikTok temporarily suspended its services in the U.S. The app was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and users couldn’t access it. 12 hours later, on January 19, 2025, Donald Trump stated that he extended the deadline for TikTok to find a U.S. buyer, so TikTok was available again.
President Trump extended the deadline twice for TikTok to sell itself to a U.S. entity on April 5, 2025, and then to June 19, 2025.
“I think the U.S. should be entitled to get half of TikTok”, said Trump.
Advertisers were also concerned about the ban. TikTok is a large platform in the U.S. with about 170 million users. Teenagers spend, on average, almost 2 hours on TikTok daily. This gives advertisers a huge platform to sell products, especially on “TikTok Shop”, where you can buy products directly on the app.
“I use TikTok 10~30 minutes a day because I prefer Instagram more,” said Lee.
TikTok’s fate will be determined by whether ByteDance can sell it to an American company before the June 19 deadline. Trump said he can extend the deadline again if there is no agreement to buy, but there are doubts from some members of Congress about his authority to do that.
“I think they should not ban TikTok, there is no reason to block TikTok. But if Trump really has to do something with TikTok, Trump should extend the deadline till the buyer comes out,” said Jason.
Although the app is available currently, its fate depends on political decisions and business talks. Marketers and users are hoping against hope to find out what is next.
