TikTok is an application that has become one of the most universally used platforms in recent years since the pandemic, with 1.218 million users worldwide according to a report from the website Doofinder. TikTok is a platform with a huge audience, many of whom are also video creators, which makes the app have all kinds of informative, fun, and entertaining content.
On January 31, 2024, the creators of the platform had a major disagreement with Universal Music Global, causing the multinational company to declare that they would no longer work together and that TikTok would no longer feature music from artists such as Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, etc. This caused a lot of controversies as many sources and fans say that TikTok did not want to pay a fair amount for using Universal’s music and that the company decided not to renew its contract once again. Later, the platform stated that it was an opportunity for many creators to showcase their talent and that making videos using music was not the only use of the app.
Recently, the United States government began considering banning the Chinese application and enacting a law that says that the app cannot be used anymore in American territory. The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday, March 13, approved by 365 votes to 65 that the app can no longer be used nationally and by law requires it to disassociate from its parent company in China within six months to avoid being banned in the USA. Now it only remains for the law to be approved by the Senate and the President to ban its total use. Many people agree with this decision, while many others disagree with the government’s action. “Honestly, I kind of like and don’t like it at the same time, I’m happy that they are trying to put regulations on things like that for security reasons but I feel like TikTok is not where they should start with the bans, I feel like they should start with other security treats first and I don’t get why they would want to banned right now, especially it is so popular,” said senior, Gayle Naughton.
Others feel like they can access videos similar to TikTok elsewhere. “I think it’s okay if they banned the app, I don’t really use it because I prefer to use Instagram and watch reels there,” said junior, Thamara Carrasco.
