By Taylor-Anne Elizabeth Carbon

Sheila Hall has been on TikTok since she was 12. She is now 17.

Struggling with her spirituality at times, feeling anxious about college, and wondering if other people had gone through similar experiences, she turned to the popular social media app. 

On the evening of Jan. 18, the app with more than 2 billion global users went dark in the United States.

According to the New York Times, Congress passed a law to ban TikTok due to officials’ fears of American users’ data being shared with the Chinese government. This law stated that TikTok would be given the option either to be sold to non-Chinese owners, or face a ban in the United States that would take effect Jan. 19.

When users went on the app while it was banned, they were unable to use it, getting a message that the app would be temporarily gone until then-President-elect Donald Trump lifted the ban. 

Many teens were distraught throughout this 14-hour period.

“It felt like there was a missing piece in my life,” said Hall. She tried using other apps, such as Instagram, but said “it just wasn’t the same.” It seemed to her as though Instagram’s videos weren’t as individualized, and she described it as boring.

According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 63% of teens in the United States use TikTok, and 57% reportedly use TikTok every day. The question is, why do these teens use the app so often?

From 2019 to 2020, the number of users on TikTok went up a whopping 88%, suggesting that the app flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lacking physical interactions due to having to social distance, many users went on TikTok to find connections on the app. 

“They were using it as a way to build and connect their social networks,” said Macquarie University associate professor Jessica McLean, who in 2021 conducted a qualitative study on teenagers who used TikTok. “Other people that we talked to said it was really important for identity information that they were able to see and learn about new things, as well as extend some of their understanding of self through exploring new ideas.” 

McLean was fascinated by how social media affected everyday life for the people around her, and TikTok had sparked her interest in 2020. By doing this study, she hoped to get some data to show some of the strengths and weaknesses of TikTok.

For someone who doesn’t use TikTok, the app may be seen as just for entertainment. But for teen users, the app is much more, McLean found. For these teens, the app has not only brought them connections but also resources and platforms to be themselves.

For older adults however, the experience of TikTok may be different. 

Charisse Swan, a 47-year-old mom from Pennsylvania, said she downloaded TikTok in 2020, but when asked how she felt about the ban, she said she didn’t really care. 

“I would probably just go back on Instagram to be honest,” she said.

She said she doesn’t have a problem with children using TikTok, but she wishes there were more safety measures put in place for younger audiences, so they could be cautious of mature content.

In the months since the app has been back, Hall feels relieved not only that she has her favorite app back, but a platform where she feels she can be herself.