- Teens say TikTok has a culture that other apps can’t replace.
- Many of them became emotionally attached to the community during the pandemic.
- Some teenagers are pushing the ban by looking for other Chinese apps.
Over the past few weeks, Madeira Semins, 18, has spent a lot of time thinking about TikTok – and experiencing a range of emotions regarding the possibility of leaving the platform.
“It’s a coping mechanism for a lot of people in my generation,” Semins, who attends college in Ohio, told Business Insider. “It sounds dramatic to say that I feel unsure of what my life will look like without TikTok in it, but it’s really been such a quiet influence that I didn’t even realize it was happening until I started thinking about what I was going to do. do without.”
Last week, the Supreme Court heard testimony on a law that would require TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations by January 19 or face a ban. Unless the Supreme Court intervenes, ByteDance plans to end US access to TikTok on that date.
While some teens say they will simply move on to other social media, others are frustrated by what they see as a lack of understanding of TikTok’s role in their communities, as well as federal government overreach.
A generation uses it to interact with the world
Like many teenagers, Semins and her 16-year-old sister started turning to TikTok during the pandemic when they were isolated at home. The app kept them “sane and in touch with the world,” she said.
Since then, the app has become an easy way for her to connect with her peers both online and in person, serving as a source of memes and trends that everyone seems to know.
“The loss of TikTok feels like it has tremendous potential to drastically change the ways my generation interacts with the world and each other,” Semins said.
Not just a way to pass the time
Elizabeth Conley, a 19-year-old from Indiana, uses TikTok for her work with BridgeUSA, a cross-party student movement that promotes diverse voices in politics.
“TikTok isn’t just a way to pass the time; it’s been a great tool to engage with people on campus and raise awareness about important issues,” she said. “Losing that platform would mean completely rethinking our outreach strategy.”
Conley also uses TikTok for humor and quick connection with peers by laughing at popular memes or trends. But she says the platform also helps her “discover new ideas and creative content that sparks conversations with the people I care about.”
Some teenagers are turning to RedNote in protest
Rayyan Ahmed, 19, says he uses TikTok as a “low-effort way to keep in constant communication” with friends. Now, he sees his peers taking a critical look at the idea of the government banning an app.
“There is a popular feeling about the app that the government should focus on stronger data privacy laws rather than banning a particular app,” said Ahmed, who lives in New Jersey.
Some teenagers he knows are moving to another Chinese app, RedNote, in “defying the ban,” Ahmed said, adding that he believes the teens are moving there because the app is Chinese.
With that in mind, Conley questions whether banning TikTok will have the desired impact.
“I’m not sure a ban would fully achieve its goals because people might just find other ways to access TikTok or go to different platforms without really addressing the underlying issues,” such as security concerns and the impact of social media on young people, it. said.
Ahmed himself hasn’t switched to RedNote and said he’ll likely spend more time on Instagram Reels. Many of Semins’ friends also plan to return to Instagram Reels, but that app has a different feel to it. While TikTok was just for her friends and peers, former teachers and grown friends of her family follow her on Instagram.
“I can’t imagine myself posting TikTok-inspired reels to the same audience,” she said. “Part of what makes TikTok so successful, in my opinion, is that it’s always been a more casual space, and I’m not sure about Instagram’s ability to successfully integrate this game.”
Prohibition can isolate disengaged teenagers
Jackson Jordan, 15, told Business Insider that there is no other social media platform that matches the opportunities to connect with peers that TikTok has given him.
Jordan’s mother, Titania, is the Chief Parenting Officer of Bark Technologies and founder of Parenting in a Tech World. She has spoken to him extensively about misinformation, addictive algorithms, bullying, digital footprints and other online dangers, but has also allowed him to be “very active” on TikTok, she said.
Although Jordan is clear about the dangers of TikTok, he and his mother both also see the app’s potential, from allowing content creators to build careers to creating connections for teenagers. Losing this is all about Jordan.
“This ban would further isolate an already disconnected generation of Internet users, including myself,” he said.
Jordan does not think the government should have the right to do this.
“I feel sick,” he said. “It’s an unfair violation of our right to free speech. Banning TikTok is not a matter of national security; it’s direct government censorship.”
Some teens are ambivalent about the ban
Not all teenagers Business Insider spoke to are as worried about the possible ban. Aidan O’Donnell, 18, has already started migrating from TikTok to Instagram Reels.
“I honestly don’t care right now” about TikTok’s future, O’Donnell said.
Semins and her friends hope to spend more time offline if TikTok goes away.
With the app on all her friends’ phones, she often finds herself scrolling side-by-side as her friends do the same.
“In those moments, I often wish we could talk or do something more collaborative and interactive instead,” she said. “The app is so addictive and the algorithm is so customized that it can seem almost impossible to stop.”
