Pro – Gabriel Tice | Staff Writer
Even though the ban on TikTok has been postponed by President Donald Trump, a true ban on TikTok would do more good in this country than harm.
TikTok is a treasure trove of misinformation and outright lies that one cannot seem to escape from. I deleted the app months ago after my “For You Page” turned into nothing but conspiracy theories and far-right propaganda no matter how many times I would block accounts and tap “not interested.” Also, the short-form style of videos are some of the worst videos I have ever seen. The app is full of AI-generated content that is mass-produced to gain views. TikTok has also allowed room for the rise to stolen content — with entire accounts posting nothing but stolen movie clips or other content creators’ videos and podcasts.
Another issue is the short-form videos themselves. They are designed to hold your attention for as long as possible so that a 10-minute study break turns into 3 hours of doom scrolling until 2 a.m. This type of content is not good for our brains or our attention spans. According to the Brown University School of Public Health, TikTok’s algorithm preys on our body’s reward system. When we watch TikTok videos, a chemical called dopamine is released by the brain and makes us feel pleasure that slowly develops into an addiction. TikTok is designed to get people addicted to it just like they get addicted to nicotine or alcohol. The app is designed to pull you out of reality and into your phone for hours on end. The algorithm does not want you to close the app or think — it just wants you to scroll, and scroll, and scroll without a care in the world.
TikTok addiction has become an epidemic in our generation. If you do not believe me, delete the app and see how long you can go without wanting to redownload it. With a ban on TikTok, another social media app will inevitably take its place, and hopefully this new app will not be as predatory on our minds as TikTok is. It might be hard to say goodbye to TikTok, but for the good of our minds and attention spans, it really needs to go.
Con – Ella Harner | Staff Writer
From dancing to comedy sketches, life hacks and artwork, TikTok is a place for self-expression — self-expression that can also get you paid.
When scrolling down your “For You Page” you can see countless different types of people being authentically themselves. These people, sometimes known as “influencers” if they have a big enough following, are what make TikTok such a wonderful place to be.
TikTok gives people a space where they can show off their true colors, and it is accepted and praised. Having this space brings people together, allowing connection to those who are unable to experience it in real life, according to The Lighthouse. This place of congregation could be lost for many if the app were to be banned.
With the recent ban of TikTok in the United States, many influencers, as well as small creators and businesses, are losing the form of income they have from showcasing their life. While there are other options like Instagram or Meta, formerly known as Facebook, for these creators to move to, it would lessen their following and possibly income, especially for the small businesses that first went viral on TikTok. This could result in these shops shutting down due to the possibility of losing business from lack of engagement if TikTok Shop was their largest source of revenue.
The loss of a popular app has happened before, like back in 2017 when Vine was discontinued. This app also had many creators who faced hardship when they opted to move their platform to Youtube, according to Entrepreneur, yet many of them had already established an audience and personal brand in one place.
People might argue that it is a good thing TikTok is leaving due to the cyberbullying that is often seen in comment sections. With cyberbullying being such a broad subject, you can find it almost everywhere on the internet. TikTok is a home to cyberbullying, doxxing and scamming, but that does not mean it is the app’s fault, or that it should be banned because this occurs. It is up to the consumer to decide what content to consume and for them to know not to get themselves into scams or harmful situations. The overall effect that the TikTok ban would have on American society would be drastic. There were plenty creators mourning the loss, maybe a bit preemptive but mourning nonetheless, when looking at the videos and trends like the “Family Guy” sound bite “since we are all going to die…,” according to Newsweek. Without TikTok, people lose the ability to be who they are while pursuing their dreams.
