Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- The Supreme Court upheld a U.S. TikTok ban effective Jan. 19, affecting users nationwide.
- University of Utah students express concerns over losing TikTok, citing its entertainment and educational value.
- Many anticipate Instagram and YouTube will fill the void, though TikTok's unique impact is acknowledged.
SALT LAKE CITY — "I use it every day, all day," University of Utah student Mae Rathbun said about TikTok. "I love it. TikTok makes me happy. I love TikTok, and I don't think they should ban it, because I feel like it's just like a funny app where people share videos."
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled against TikTok, upholding the law banning the social media app in the U.S., which will go into effect on Jan. 19. Five students at the University of Utah who use the app daily shared their thoughts on TikTok and the upcoming ban.
"TikTok has positively benefited me by just making me laugh," Rathbun added. "I feel like it also is like a way that people can connect and interact."
Hanzla Ali said that he only uses two social media platforms, TikTok and YouTube.
"If TikTok is banned, it will be a bad news for me because I have a very good connection with it, so definitely I will not be happy if it is banned," Ali said.
Do young TikTok users think the app should be banned?
If the ban does go through, then on Sunday the app will be shut down across the country. Those who try to access the app in the U.S. after Sunday will be directed to a website with information about the ban, according to Reuters.
"I don't think it should be banned," Finley Hawkins said. "I think you should be able to do what you want."
While Hawkins doesn't want to lose the app, and she doesn't agree with the ban, she does think it will be good in the sense that it will make her spend less time on her phone.
"I gotta kind of get off my phone and, you know, touch some grass," she said.
Another student, Dori Nguyen, said that she thinks banning TikTok is "pretty bad" but that banning it over privacy issues seems reasonable to her.
Ali and Rathbun both said they don't want the app to be banned, and they don't think it's a good idea to ban the app.
Are young TikTok users worried about the app stealing their data?
Hawkins said that those on the app are aware of the risk of their data being stolen, so if they choose to be on it, then that's their choice.
"I personally don't really care; I don't think anybody's stealing my privacy," she said. "Everyone on there, on the app, like, has an idea that that could potentially be happening. So if you have it, it is what it is."
Rathbun agreed with Hawkins and said that she isn't worried about her data being stolen by TikTok.
When asked about TikTok's privacy issues, Finn Melchir said that he thinks it's concerning, but he also thinks there's a lot of other sites out there doing the same thing.
What app will be used in the absence of TikTok?
Many people believe that after TikTok is banned in the U.S., Instagram will be the app that most people go to in its place. This is because Instagram's Reels are similar to TikTok's short-form video format.
Melchir agreed with the idea of Instagram taking TikTok's spot. "I think probably Instagram will be the biggest one again just because they're most like TikTok."
The idea of a new app being created and released soon to take TikTok's place was suggested by Rathbun.
"I like Instagram Reels; I think that'll be the big thing, or there's gonna be an app just like TikTok that comes out, and we're just gonna use that," Rathbun said.
Nguyen said she thinks both Instagram and YouTube will gain a lot of attention in the absence of TikTok.
"Because these two platforms don't have they short videos or like reels, and also, many creators have accounts on these platforms. So I think they're going to be like the big platforms," she said.
But Ali said that he doesn't think another app will be able to fully replace TikTok because it has its own unique reputation in the social media market.
How will not having TikTok impact the lives of daily users?
After being asked how her day-to-day life would be changed if she didn't have TikTok anymore, Nguyen responded saying she thinks it would be boring and tedious.
"TikTok is like the main source for my entertainment," she said. "There's a lot of fun things to watch, so I think (it) would be more boring."
Nguyen added that she also learns a lot on TikTok, especially about topics such as nature and geography, as well as the traditions and customs of people from around the world. She also uses the app to learn different tips and tricks that she applies in her daily life.
Hawkins shared that she also uses the app for get information and learn how to do new things.
"I kind of get all of my information from TikTok," she said. "If I, like, need to do something, I'll look it up on TikTok, and a great tutorial will come up for me, so that I would miss it for sure."
Melchir said he uses TikTok everyday but he doesn't think losing TikTok will impact his life very much because "there are just a lot of other apps now."
