TikTok is back. Let’s bury it for good

There have been talks of a TikTok ban on the basis of national security for months. To most, it seemed like an empty threat. 

But by the morning of January 18th, TikTok users were preparing for the worst. Some jumped ship to Xiaohongshu, otherwise known as RedNote, a popular Chinese app similar to TikTok and Instagram, in protest. Others spent the night downloading their favorite videos, posting farewells and avoiding the inevitable. At around 9:30 p.m. CDT, the app went dark, seemingly indefinitely. 

Until the next morning. 

Less than 24 hours after U.S. servers went dark, TikTok crawled out of a shallow grave, leaving users with mixed emotions. While some have celebrated TikTok’s unexpected return, others have noticed that something about the app seems different. Users have claimed TikTok’s algorithm has changed since the ban, suppressing content speaking out against the Trump administration and in some cases forcing users to unfollow left-leaning politicians without their knowledge. But representatives from TikTok have insisted this is merely the result of a glitch brought on by the app shutting down and returning services on a wide scale.

While it’s too early since TikTok’s return to confirm if a censorship conspiracy is afoot, one thing is clear: we’ve arrived at a new era of even deeper mistrust with social media as a way to stay informed. If young Americans — 4 in 10 of which use TikTok to “regularly get news” — want to imagine a world where they can stay informed without reliance on social media, censored or not, it’s time to bury TikTok for good.

How did we get here?

Months prior, the TikTok ban, more formally known as the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” made its way through Congress with bipartisan support. The “ban” forced the sale of TikTok from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. In January, the “ban” was challenged in the Supreme Court on the basis of violating the First Amendment rights of “two TikTok operating entities and a group of U.S. TikTok users”, but in a matter of days, the new law prevailed. 

With the Jan. 18 deadline approaching, a scramble to save the app ensued. In the days before taking office, Trump publicly considered executive action to save the app. This came as a surprise, given that during his first term, his support for the TikTok ban was clear. With the upcoming inauguration, some believed the Biden administration would push back the deadline — to no avail. Due to a lack of clarity about the app's status, TikTok ended service to American users on Jan. 18. 

So, where did concerns of state censorship on an app once known for viral dances and lip-sync videos come from?

On Jan 19., American users were welcomed back with a message reading: “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!,” leading to concerns of a new collaboration with the Trump administration. Shortly thereafter, some users took to X, sharing that searches for content relating to “fascism” and Trump’s “anti-trans political agenda” led to dead ends — and in the case of @Karlmaxxed on X, gaining the support of nearly 200,000 users. 

In response to the Trump administration's calls for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, videos tagged “cute winter boots” have gone viral, sharing tips on how to protect yourself while interacting with ICE agents and general pushback against recent executive action. 

Whether or not TikTok has started to censor users since its return, one thing’s for sure: TikTok may be back, but the trust users once had in the platform is gone. If we really are approaching a new era of digital censorship, it’s time for young Americans to rethink about where and how they get their information. TikTok may have made it easier than ever to stay in the loop, but having confidence in the information you consume is worth more energy than the scroll of a thumb. 

Blake Martin is an Opinion Editor for the Daily Cardinal, he is a senior studying English and Political Science. Do you agree that it's time to bury TikTok for good? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

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