It’s safe to say that the large majority of students and staff members at Woodland know about TikTok. The app that has simply taken over the social media world has grown massively in popularity throughout the last 5 years or so. What started out as a casual app designed for people to dance to music has progressed into an app that many students and teachers rely on in their everyday lives.

With that being said, there has always been a sense of controversy centered around TikTok, and who owns it. It began with slight speculation that the Chinese government could oversee our actions on the app. Now, it is pretty much proven that the Chinese-based ownership of the company results in direct data sharing with the Chinese government, allowing them to get an inside look into our personal lives. This has led to the American government getting involved, and pushing for an overall banning of the app in the United States.

While there have been talks of a “TikTok ban” for years now, it is finally looking like a realistic possibility. As of May 12, 2024, the House of Representatives ruled in favor of TikTok being banned if it is not bought by an American citizen, or an American-based company. So naturally, this has evoked various responses from TikTok users here at Woodland.

“I will be so upset if TikTok gets banned,” said sophomore Avery DiGiovanna.

In order to understand the initial reactions that many Woodland students and staff members will have, it is necessary to establish the reason for such reactions. As mentioned, TikTok has evolved into much more than a “dancing app”, and people utilize it for a variety of reasons.

“I rely on TikTok for more information instead of going to google and looking something up,” said junior Abbie Raffone. “I use it for recipes, clothing reviews, and new product information.”

On the other hand, there are also students here at Woodland that would not bat an eye if TikTok got banned. In fact, some may even see it as a positive thing for the school.

“I think TikTok is pretty pointless as it is,” said sophomore Erik Pulkkinen. “Woodland will be a better place if it does end up getting banned.”

Overall at Woodland, TikTok has some fairly mixed reviews. There are certainly people who live and die by the app, and there are people who don’t even use it. However, a large majority of the students and staff casually use the app, similar to other social media such as “Instagram” and “Snapchat”. This casual use allows for some pretty balanced opinions.

“If TikTok ended up getting banned, I would be disappointed in a way because of how I like to watch funny and entertaining videos,” said sophomore James Scampolino. “On the flip side, a ban for TikTok could result in more proactivity and I would probably waste less time on my phone in my free time.”

There is still a lot more that needs to unfold in terms of the legal situation, and it is certainly not time to jump to conclusions just yet. Throughout this few month span, it was very interesting to see how different people can have completely opposite views on one app. However, there is one thing that just about everyone can agree on: Woodland would look a whole lot different if TikTok does indeed get banned.