On December 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals decided to uphold the ban on the popular social media app TikTok, maintaining the claim that the app is a threat to national security. While ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is attempting to appeal the decision on the grounds that a ban would violate the First Amendment right to free speech, if the appeal is denied, the app will be removed from app stores by January 19, 2025.
“I think if people understood how much data they’re collecting from the users and what they’re doing with it, people probably wouldn’t be on it in the first place,” social studies teacher Matt Pedlow said.
While some staff are on the side of the US government, saying TikTok adds no value to American life, some students are vehemently opposed; loudly advocating for their First Amendment right.
“I feel like the ban is unnecessary,” sophomore Connor Harrison said. ”I think they’re silencing us.”
For some students and Chelsea High School staff, TikTok serves as a lens through which young people can explore multiple perspectives, often inspiring them to advocate for and address societal issues head-on.
“It’s the only way I know the news,” Harrison said. “You can get information so quickly.”
While TikTok can be used as a lens through which users can explore multiple perspectives of news, enabling students to be informed and engaged in the world. It can also simultaneously become a distraction, something that keeps students from being fully present in their lives.
”Over five hours a day, about, yeah…” Harrison said he spends on TikTok.
Even though social media has been around for years now, TikTok has a unique format for capturing the attention of users: an addictive format—short, stimulating videos that can be endlessly scrolled through—which can easily create an unhealthy dependence on constant entertainment.
“I think there’s a massive shift in what kids’ attention spans are,” Pedlow said.
Despite the thousands of varying opinions, TikTok is considered, in the eyes of the law, a security threat and will be banned this coming year.
“If TikTok is getting shut down, why aren’t they shutting down all the other social media apps?” Harrison said.
