News

Time is “Tiktoking” out

TikTok in the United States will be banned – if it continues to be in the possession of a Chinese-owned company

Celine Jean and Nyla Kërr

May 20, 2024

Graphic illustration depicting TikTok’s potential termination. Created by Nyla Kërr using Canva.

TikTok, a popular social media platform used by many, has gone through major changes when a large portion of its music was taken off of the platform, and now it is facing a permanent ban from the United States altogether.

After the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm, TikTok was able to give people comfort and serve as a way for others to connect through the internet when everyone had to be isolated from the outside world and no one knew what would happen in the future. The app is owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance, and this is where the U.S. Government sees there being problems with TikTok.

The threat of shutting TikTok down was made for reasons relating to national security. There has been a history of concerns regarding ByteDance because government officials fear that the app is being used by the Chinese government to gather sensitive data. The U.S. government is not very comfortable with American citizens’ data being exposed to another country.

According to the article “Biden Administration Signs off on TikTok Ban Over National Security Concerns, App Could Be De-listed in 2025,” on the website cpomagazine.com, “The Chinese government has accessed American data or directly threatened national security using the app; the government correctly points out that this could be done without anyone knowing about it.”

The U.S. gave ByteDance an ultimatum: The Chinese-owned company has to either sell TikTok to another company, or TikTok will no longer be available to U.S. citizens. According to the Associated Press, Tiktok is restricted to government officials in Canada and unavailable in many European countries. With this being said, the U.S. is considering being included, but what do McIntosh students think?

For McIntosh junior, Tishe Ajayi, has had some thoughts about the conflict that favors the app being banned.

“I actually think it’s a good thing, TikTok promotes brain rot and is making our generation dumber. With the app being banned it will honestly make our lives better,” Ajayi said.

For student Naomi Simeon, she is against the bill being passed for TikTok’s ban.

“TikTok is a fun app to use. I use it everyday to share dances that I want to try with my friends. All social media platforms are constantly taking our personal information anyways so I don’t really see the problem,” Simeon said.

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About the Contributors

Celine Jean, Staff

Celine Jean is a junior serving in her first year as a staff member at the McIntosh Trail. Her passion for reading and writing had been ignited since elementary school when Jean was a part of the Poetry Club. In middle school, Jean’s interest in short stories and political ideologies took an intensive path after two years of participating in the Yale Splash program in Connecticut. Ever since 2021, Jean has volunteered with People of Impact and the Haitian American Caucus to assist the underserved community. Her involvement commenced with serving at soup kitchens and joining park cleaning events in urban and neglected areas in New York. Soon, Jean began to organize volunteering and fundraising events for domestic violence and family shelters. Jean joined God’s Love We Deliver, a non-profit that focuses on feeding hospice cancer and AIDS patients on holidays. In 9th grade, during a socially and politically sensitive climate, Jean became a founding leader of Uncommon Ground, a student group that partners with administration to learn concerns and bridge the gap of the BIPOC students. During her sophomore year at McIntosh, Jean joined the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO), the Debate Team and the Spanish Club. Celine is excited about embarking on this new journey as an official staff member of the McIntosh Trail.

Nyla Kërr, News Editor

News Editor Nyla Kërr is spending her second year on the McIntosh Trail. Kërr has always been passionate about writing and has been honoring her craft for the past six years. She was a part of the first Trail staff to win a School Newspapers Online Distinguished Site award. Kërr has also received two academic awards for outstanding achievement in biology and English. She has also been awarded the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. When she is not buried deep in her classwork, Kërr enjoys spending time with her family, playing the guitar and doing calisthenics.