After a long day at school, I get home and lie on my bed. Immediately, I open TikTok, and look at my For You page for an hour. Every video that I watch seems interesting to me; I like, comment and send funny ones to friends. Throughout the afternoon, I get alerts on my phone of my friends sending me funny TikTok videos as well. Each time, I open up my phone, laugh, and then close it. On a usual day, I open TikTok 70 times.
Due to security threats, the United States Government temporarily made a big decision: banning TikTok. Influencers couldn’t believe that their job, for some their only source of income, might be taken away. In the last couple hours before the ban, people posted their drafts, their “secrets” and so much more to get their last ounce of enjoyment out of TikTok.
When the ban happened, I didn’t know what app to go to to fulfill my short-term video doom scrolling needs. Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and Likee didn’t retain my attention like TikTok did, and I continued to instinctively open TikTok even though I knew it was banned. My friends and I texted each other about how much we missed it and how we “wouldn’t survive without it.”
Once the app was unbanned, everyone was excited to go back; some influencers even said that it was the hardest 12 hours of their life.
Is this what addiction and withdrawal feel like? Now that TikTok is back online, I have to be a user to keep up with trends, a necessary part of socialization with my friends; but it doesn’t seem healthy.
TikTok should be banned in the US. Not only is the Chinese government taking our information, they’re using it to make such an addictive app that, without it, some users feel like they can’t survive. No other app is able to give users such an addictive stream of videos, and they do it intentionally; the app collects data from users such as how long they stay on a certain video and if they like it or comment in order to keep their users scrolling.
That being said, there are many benefits to having TikTok that make many people doubt that the ban is a good idea. Many people get ideas from TikTok, including recipes, workouts and shopping purchases. People like how creative TikTok is, especially how fun it is to learn a new dance with your friends. Many small businesses and influencers rely on it for income and promotion as well; TikTok is a great way for younger people to make some quick money when they are just starting out before a real job.
However, even with the creativity and promotion, TikTok is still extremely addicting. It takes up too much time in the day that could be spent studying or doing something more productive in order to benefit society, so it should absolutely be permanently banned someday.
But until that day comes, I will continue to be a user.
