Temptok: The Ongoing Tiktok Saga
- Aunika Groat
- Mar 16
- 3 min read
The high level of efficiency in the Trump administration necessitates news cycles to address a continuous barrage of stories, from controversial cabinet nominations to DOGE spending cuts. Amidst this flurry, it is easy to overlook the ongoing TikTok saga. As the clock ticks down toward mid-April, a pivotal moment awaits: will TikTok survive in the United States?
The TikTok story has been a roller coaster. In 2022, Congress initiated its first TikTok restriction bill, which prohibited TikTok on government devices due to national security concerns tied to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
Fast forward to 2024, a new controversial law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), was passed with bipartisan support. PAFACA classified TikTok as a foreign threat controlled by a foreign adversary, mandating its sale to an American company or complete removal from the United States.
An illegal free speech impediment? With a rapid one-week turnover, the Supreme Court commenced oral arguments and issued a unanimous unsigned opinion upholding the Act. On January 17, two days before the implementation of the ban, the Court determined that the Act does not violate the First Amendment rights of TikTok or its users.
To increase the drama, on January 18, 2025, the day before the deadline, TikTok preemptively suspended its services in the United States. Teenagers were in disarray, and businesses that relied on the app were losing money. President Trump– a free speech and economic savior– swooped in and announced a 75-day extension to TikTok, which was allowed under the unsigned Supreme Court ruling. One of the forgotten initial executive orders out of his 220 executive orders in the last two months.
With the extension nearing its end, April 5th potentially marks the end of TikTok in the United States. Advocates argue that national security concerns may finally be resolved, and this could herald numerous health and productivity benefits for teenagers and future generations if they do not immediately flock to other platforms. Hopefully, they will touch the grass and read some books.
Despite the countless benefits of removing TikTok, why did President Trump grant this extension?
President Trump understands the necessity of TikTok as a free speech platform (which he utilized during his campaign), a site for human connection and interaction, and an impactful economic platform. In 2023, according to TikTok, 5 million jobs benefited from TikTok, and 15 billion dollars in revenue for US small businesses was made on the TikTok shop and platform.
The ideal immediate solution would be to have a private United States company purchase TikTok. President Trump has stated that he has four different groups interested in purchasing TikTok. Although none have been named, Perplexity AI, several CEOs, and Project Liberty, a consortium of investors including MrBeast, have expressed interest in buying TikTok.
TikTok has brought forth more problems than solutions—negative mental health effects, ruining people’s lives with one incorrect post, pornography, and predators. President Trump is correct in trying to keep TikTok; however, individuals must collectively address the detrimental effects of TikTok and other social media platforms.
Photo Credit:
[Header]: Tiktok Logo
[Embedded 1]: Unsplash
[Embedded 2]: Donald Trump's Tiktok account
Sources:
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