Recently throughout the world, governments, colleges, and universities alike have been considering to and going through with the ban on the popular social media giant, TikTok.

This ban has been very controversial with varying arguments for why TikTok should be banned.  The arguments include but aren’t limited to; breaching in consumer data collection and personal information, age restrictions not being followed, inappropriate content, and lack of trust in the Chinese government from the U.S. government’s side. 

The reactions to this ban also vary depending on the place, In some cases, there are many who oppose the ban as they claim that it’s limiting the first amendment In the United States. On the opposing side, there are plenty of government court cases that have been made because of the ban, deciding that the risks are high, and can majorly impact the users of TikTok, more than the benefits of allowing consumers to keep TikTok.  Furthermore, in Congress, there are two bills attempting to be passed the DATA Act and the RESTRICT Act. While there are no consistent updates as new information is slowly being released there are still efforts being made to at least ban TikTok in higher education campuses and in the U.S.

While we still have access to TikTok in Illinois, many states have been questioning and considering the banning of TikTok. Except many Gen Z favors the no ban on TikTok. One freshman at Joliet West, Christina Chau, states “The ban is a violation of freedom of speech….many people may use TikTok as an outlet to destress and express themselves and this ban would overall just do more harm than good”. A small pool of students at our school was surveyed, varying in ages to get a better understanding of the impact and opinions, and the majority stated that they wanted/preferred the no-ban on TikTok. For many teens alike TikTok is a means of entertainment, and many will be upset if it does get banned by the state law and choices of the ongoing court battle.