Eman Ghacham/The Cougar
On Jan. 18, ByteDance’s TikTok was officially banned nationwide following a bipartisan bill passed by former President Joe Biden.
However, less than 24 hours later, the app notified its American users that all services were being restored in the U.S. and credited President Donald J. Trump for the revival due to an executive order he signed, delaying the enforcement.
Why was the app banned
The ban was argued as a measure to protect American citizens from foreign adversary-controlled applications.
UH also blocked TikTok along with other technologies on its campus networks, following Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive that labeled the app a national security threat.
However, TikTok’s return does not mean that the app will permanently be available in the U.S.
The executive order only delays the enforcement of the ban by 75 days. The order states that it would give more time for Trump to assess the national security and foreign policy implications of the ban itself.
Student reactions to TikTok’s return
For UH students who actively create content on TikTok, the return was a breath of fresh air as they are be able to continue their video creations.
“When TikTok made its return, it was like a wave of relief and renewed energy,” said content creator and retail and consumer science senior Karyme Garza. “Creators felt motivated to step up their game, knowing how quickly things could change.”
For others, the ban was a minor inconvenience that encouraged many to explore alternative apps.
“I’m seeing people react to it in a certain way, but it’s just an app,” said political science senior Adrian Alvarez. “There’re so many apps that are similar and better.”
TikTok’s future
TikTok is now in search for a new U.S. based owner, with figures like Elon Musk and Jimmy Donaldson [MrBeast] rumored to be interested in purchasing the social media platform.
“I have been against a TikTok ban for a long time, because it goes against freedom of speech,” Musk said on X in reply to an older post. “That said, the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced.”
This possible new ownership resulted in a variety of reactions from UH Students as some fear increased censorship and content restrictions.
“If we still have [TikTok] by the end of 2025, 100% it will be a lot more restricted,” said biotechnology junior Nina Alvarez. “It will be more censored than it already has been in the past.”
Others, like Garza, believe the transition must be handled carefully to avoid alienating users.
“A change in ownership could result in stricter content moderation policies, new platform regulations or a shift in algorithms to align with different corporate priorities,” Garza said.
Some students claim the algorithm has drastically changed after the ban.
“I’m not even seeing news videos or politician videos anymore,” said acting junior Teshiria Spelmon.
However, others, like Adrian Alvarez, see a new owner as a minor change with little impact on users.
“In the long run, I don’t think it will change,” Adrian Alvarez said. “The most I see happening will be like what happened to Twitter, it might get a rebrand, no matter who owns it.”
Trump’s role
In 2020, Trump led the efforts in trying to remove TikTok in the U.S., citing concerns relating to national security.
Trump’s Executive Order 13942 in 2020 prohibited any person under the jurisdiction of the U.S. to have transactions with Bytedance and TikTok.
This resulted in a lawsuit, TikTok v. Trump, with TikTok challenging the executive order for breaching their due process.
Given this history, some UH TikTok users show their skepticism over Trump’s role in the app’s revival.
“There wouldn’t be a need to bring it back had Trump not been the one to take it away in the first place,” Nina Alvarez said.
Others argue that Trump’s attempts to bring the app back is driven by his political agenda.
“This whole TikTok being banned then being brought back is a bit fishy,” Garza said. “I personally think it was all done on purpose to gain our trust towards him.”
However, some, like Adrian Alvarez, see it as a natural shift in perspective.
“I wasn’t really too surprised,” Adrian Alvarez said. “This decision he made could be better off for him and everyone else in America. I think there must have been discussions behind the scenes that led him to do that.”
TikTok’s current presence
As of now, TikTok continues to operate if a user had it already installed, prior to its removal from the various app stores, according to USA Today.
According to President Trump’s executive order, TikTok has until Apr. 5, 2025 to either be sold to a U.S. based owner or be banned nationwide once more.
