On January 19, 2025, millions of TikTok users across the United States woke up to an abrupt surprise: Their favorite app was no longer working. The US government imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok, motivated by national security concerns related to the app’s data collection and its ties to the Chinese company ByteDance. However, in an unexpected twist, the ban was reversed within 12 hours, leaving critics scrambling to make sense of the situation. 

“That was genuinely the worst 12 hours ever. I kept clicking on TikTok out of habit, forgetting it was banned,” said freshman Emelia Pieri. Emelia said that TikTok is a big part of her life, and the ban affected her greatly. 

The ban followed months of TikTok controversy. Former President Joe Biden originally signed into law, requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the app to an American-owned company within a certain amount of time or face a ban in the US. Although the law was set to take place in January after ByteDance failed to find a buyer, Trump’s administration postponed its implementation to allow more time for the negotiations. 

US government officials and lawmakers fear that the user’s data will be shared with the Chinese government despite ByteDance’s repeated claims that US data will be stored on domestic servers. There are also fears that the Chinese government could use the algorithm of the app to manipulate the American public. This could be used to influence voting behavior and manipulate election results. 

Hashtags like #TikTokBan and #SaveTikTok began trending on Twitter, while users flooded other platforms like Instagram and YouTube to express their frustration. Content creators, many of whom rely on TikTok as their primary source of income, shared emotional posts about how the ban would impact their lives. 

President Donald Trump has delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban TikTok in the United States, granting a 75-day extension while his administration works on a potential deal to extend access to the app. The move comes just ahead of the April 5th deadline for the ban. 

Multiple times, it has been rumored that TikTok would be banned. Countless times this didn’t end up happening. Since the extension from January 19th, there has been another 75-day extension. Meaning that TikTok is rumored to be banned again on June 19, 2025. 

“There were always rumors that there would be a TikTok ban for a while, but it never happened. I didn’t think it would actually happen this time,” said junior Rodrigo Severin. 

When public pressure began, the reports came in. The White House announced that the ban had been lifted by late Sunday evening. President Donald Trump released a statement about the reversal, leading to “a newly reached agreement” with ByteDance, even though the specifics of the details were not disclosed. 

This quick reversal left many questions unanswered. Although the ban was cut short,  many TikTok users started exploring other platforms looking for a replacement for TikTok, as they were unsure of TikTok’s future in the US. The law always allowed for TikTok to be sold to an American owner. That is the supposed purpose of the two pauses — to allow time to identify a buyer. At the same time, lawmakers are pushing toward border legislation addressing data privacy and foreign-owned technology. 

President Donald Trump has delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban TikTok in the United States, granting a 75-day extension while his administration works on a potential deal to extend access to the app. The move comes just ahead of the April 5th deadline for the ban. 

The decision unfolds with rising tensions between the US and China, including an ongoing trade war marked by increased tariffs on both sides. Trump said that he might consider lowering tariffs on Chinese imports if the TikTok deal is reached.