The House of Representatives recently voted to approve a bill; if it passes through the Senate, it could be banned. What is this app, you may ask? Tiktok

      Since September 2016, a Chinese company called ByteDance has owned TikTok, formally known as Musically. There have always been concerns within the U.S. government regarding how data is tracked on the app. Some fear that their personal information is being stored by the Chinese government, possibly for malicious purposes. Parents across the country also expressed concerns about TikTok being harmful to the developing adolescent brain, which can be true. Regulations have been attempted throughout the years, but the issue is ramping up. 

      On March 13, the House voted for TikTok to be banned in the United States or sold to an American company. It was a landslide: 352-65. The bill still needs to pass through the Senate to become law, but users fear that outcome. Social media as a whole has opened up countless opportunities for influencers, especially since COVID. Those with a significant following can become monetized, earning them money for content. 8th grader Jack Henry Diaz says, “There are a lot of creators that I would not have found without TikTok. I have a hoodie from a super small business that only has around one thousand followers. It’s one of my favorite hoodies now.” These influencers rely on apps such as TikTok to earn a living, and many have spoken out against the possibility of it being banned.

      TikTok can be a fun place for students to share videos, post photo dumps, and generally interact with each other in a different way. However, some do feel it is a distraction.  Part of the 8th-grade Directed Studies class teaches students how to complete assignments and study without the temptations of social media. “Regarding schoolwork, it’s a definite distraction,” says English teacher Ms. Sen Rider. “Homework does not produce the same dopamine rush that social platforms do. It’s really easy to get caught in the endless doom scroll because you are continuously feeding yourself that content.“Having restrictions is a necessary factor when working. Both students and teachers are very heavily influenced by social media usage.”

      TikTok has affected the social media industry in many ways, some positive and some negative. The Senate will soon decide the app’s fate within the United States, so who knows how much time TikTok has left on our phones.