On Saturday, Jan. 18, social media platform TikTok shut down in the United States, generating mixed emotions among users. 

The app was expected to cease activity at midnight on the 19th, yet became inactive significantly early.

“It was like 9:30 pm, and the app stopped working, and I got really confused,” said June Hartman ‘26. “I refreshed it, and it gave me a message that TikTok had been banned, and I was really upset.”

Users prepared for the ban by reminiscing on old videos and trends.

“I had 1000 favorited videos that I wanted to sort through,” said Hartman. “I spent time clearing out my folder so that I could still look at those videos after the ban.”

The app shut down following the Supreme Court upholding of Congress’ bill on the TikTok ban, yet returned shortly after on account of an executive order by President Trump extending the ban.

“It shut down late Saturday night,” said Zohar Gafni-Kane ‘26. “But then by midday on Sunday, it was already back for most people.”

Despite the return of the app, those who deleted TikTok prior to the ban cannot re-download it due to its removal from the app store. 

“My app stopped working, and I was really upset. I decided to delete it,” said Gafni-Kane. “Three hours later, everyone was talking about how it started working again. But since it wasn’t on the app store, I couldn’t re-download it. I’ve been trying, but every time I try it says that the app is not available in my region.”

Many felt strong emotions at the time of the ban, as TikTok remained a popular app in the everyday lives of users for many years. 

“I think I’ve had the app for seven years, since 2018,” said Devin Deignan ‘25. “I definitely like the app a lot, and I spent a lot of time on it.”

When the app became available once more, many users felt relief and excitement.

“I opened the app because someone told me it was back, and I didn’t believe them,” said Hartman. “But then I got the message that explained how it was back. I was really excited.”

However, following the extension of the ban, mixed opinions on its outcome have arisen. 

“I am probably still spending as much time on the app as I did before the ban,” said Deignan. “But I feel like I’m more conscious with my TikTok use after the ban.”

Some find the short ban of the app has led to increased productivity and a better mindset overall.

“While it was gone, I took the app off my home screen to hide it, but I didn’t delete it,” said Hartman. “Now I’ve gotten my screen time down through that life hack to about 5 to 20 minutes a day because I’ve kept it hidden from my home screen since then. I’m not mindlessly scrolling, and it has given me time to do other things.”

For others, the removal of the app instead led to increased time spent on other social media platforms.

“Because I still can’t redownload the app, I just switched to Instagram reels,” said Gafni-Kane. “They’re not as good, so I’m just more bored, and I’m still not productive. So the ban didn’t really change anything for me.”

Despite the variety of emotions, the temporary ban brought both productive and happy emotions, as many users feel gratitude that the app remains online. 

“Even though I’m glad it’s still here, I felt like I had a fresh start after TikTok got banned. I’ve had a lot more time to be productive, so overall, I am grateful,” said Hartman.