Although past threats to ban TikTok have come and gone, user panic surged like never before as the threat this time seemed far more serious, creating waves of emotion amongst creators and viewers.

When the American government threatened to ban TikTok on January 19, 2025, many Americans panicked, wondering where they would move next. Since the app is a major platform for people to make their income, they worried about not being able to afford the lives they have put together from their online income. There was also an increased concern that Americans would be out of the loop with the world around them, as TikTok is where most Americans get their information. 

I asked Corina Morrison, a senior here at Manchester, how she feels about the ban. “The government has other things to worry about.” Grace Hart, also a senior, added, “I think it is unreasonable.”

When American users opened the app after the ban had gone into effect, they received a notice saying that the ban was going to be temporary, and that they were working with Donald Trump to get it up and working again.

A lot of Americans moved to a Chinese app similar to TikTok, Rednote. According to the app, they’ve had a surge in activity, with over a million Americans downloading the app. Because of this increase in downloads, a lot of Americans are now trying to learn Chinese, increasing the amount of US downloads for Duolingo by 36%, and the amount of Americans learning Chinese by 216%.

When TikTok was banned on the 18th, it didn’t even last 24 hours before it was back up and running for US users because of Trump’s introduction of a 90 day extension.