The short-lived TikTok ban was met with tremendous public backlash after it went into effect on Jan. 18, 2025 at 10:30 p.m. By the time the ban was lifted just 14 1/2 hours later, American TikTokers had migrated to alternate social media sites like Instagram, X and YouTube in protest. Hashtags like #SaveTikTok and #NoTikTokBan quickly trended online. While some legal scholars and users opposed the ban on First Amendment grounds, most resistance came from distraught TikTok users reacting emotionally to the shutdown. The intensity of the outcry, particularly from the platform’s younger users, merits serious concern; user’s reactions to the ban can be likened to withdrawal from an addiction. The intense reactions from users expose our generation’s deep emotional and psychological dependence on a platform that poses risks to national security and data privacy. The U.S. government’s decision to ban TikTok unless ByteDance divested its shares is grounded in legitimate concerns about national security, data privacy and algorithmic manipulation. TikTok’s privacy risks, which are compounded by its users’ extreme dependence the application, clearly justifies a ban.

TikTok’s ownership structure is a significant national security risk. While all social media platforms collect user data, TikTok’s Chinese ownership subjects it to China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law, which could compel the platform to share all user data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to a December 2020 business advisory issued by the Department of Homeland Security. TikTok collects extensive personal data, including browsing history, location tracking and biometric information, raising concerns that the CCP might exploit this sensitive information for surveillance, identity theft or espionage. In May 2023, the New York Times reported allegations by former ByteDance executive Roger Yu that the company had already granted the CCP access to all user data, including that of U.S. users. While ByteDance has denied these claims, such concerns fueled Congress’s passage of the “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” (known colloquially as the TikTok ban) with overwhelming bipartisan support last spring. The House voted 352-65 and the Senate 79-18 in favor.

Beyond more obvious concerns around data privacy, another issue with TikTok’s CCP ownership is the platform’s potential for political manipulation. TikTok’s algorithm is one of the most powerful in social media, capable of shaping user opinion, preferences and behavior. Under CCP control, such an algorithm could be manipulated for propaganda or censorship, influencing public opinion and even electoral choices to align with CCP interests instead of American values. This is particularly troubling given that, as reported in a December 2024 Pew Research Report, TikTok is the second-most-used social media app in the U.S., with especially high engagement among the youth demographic.

The U.S. government’s decision to ban TikTok not only received broad bipartisan support in Congress but was also unanimously upheld by both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court — reinforcing the legal foundation and legitimacy of the ban. In fact, this wouldn’t be the first time a foreign government has banned TikTok citing national security risks. In June 2020, India blocked the app for similar reasons, according to The Associated Press. In addition, several U.S. states and federal agencies have already restricted the app on government devices. Critics might argue that banning TikTok infringes on First Amendment rights, but such rights are not absolute. American free speech rights have always been balanced against imperatives such as public safety or national security. Moreover, the proposed TikTok ban does not directly restrict free speech. The platform can continue operating without interruption if ByteDance divests its shares in a timely manner.

Until TikTok is untethered from CCP ownership, the risks of allowing the platform to operate in the U.S. outweigh the benefits. On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order pausing the TikTok ban for 75 days, providing time for his administration to find a resolution. In the event ByteDance fails to divest its shares during such pause, the TikTok ban should be reinstated until it is under American ownership.