Will TikTok be banned… again? Or saved… again? Welcome back to the frenzy of will it or won’t it speculation now that President Trump’s executive order-decreed 75-day extension is almost up and the latest deadline for the app’s sale is just a day away.
There are potential buyers — Amazon among them — but there’s also a chance that this is a can that will just get kicked down the road again. So where does that leave some of TikTok’s heaviest (and youngest) users? Roughly 6 in 10 teens use the app daily, with 16 percent of those teens reporting being on it “almost constantly,” according to the latest data from the Pew Research Center.
We wanted to hear from teenagers themselves just what they think of yet another potential TikTok ban — would they be devastated? Indifferent? Have they already moved on? Below, read what six members of SheKnows’ Teen Council had to say.
Meera, 16:
“I would be really upset if the TikTok ban actually went through. I’ve been on the app since 6th grade, and it’s by far my favorite social media platform. As a micro-influencer with 20K+ followers, I’ve built a community over the years, and even though I don’t post as often now, the idea of losing all my creative content and connections is frustrating.
“Beyond personal impact, I feel like banning TikTok isn’t where the government’s focus should be right now. There are much bigger issues that deserve attention, and it’s hard to see this as anything more than a distraction. TikTok has become a major space for creativity, learning, and self-expression — taking it away feels unnecessary and out of touch with what really matters.
“Also, I haven’t changed the way I use TikTok since the first time a ban was floated. It still plays a big role in how I stay entertained, keep up with the news, and engage with people and trends from around the world. If anything, the constant talk of banning it just feels exhausting, and I wish the government would move on to addressing actual problems.”
Theo, 15:
“Do I wish it would be banned for my mental health and time management? Low-key, yeah, ‘cause I think I spend way too much time on TikTok. Doing other stuff in the time I’m spending on TikTok would just be so much better for me. Reading or eating… just not being on a screen and scrolling for hours.
“I wouldn’t be devastated if it went away because you have other platforms like Instagram and I don’t know, Twitter, but I would be kind of sad. Because also it’s like, it’s not just for scrolling, it’s jobs people have; like their whole life is on TikTok, they make videos for a living and also people like at my school, like my friends… it’s just a fun way to do stuff. It’s not just like aimlessly scrolling, you know? It’s more than that.
“I deleted it for a while. And then I just watched Instagram Reels, so I don’t know… it’s just, everywhere you turn, there’s just like infinite content, so it’s kind of hard to get rid of it, you know?”
Clive, 15:
“Obviously, TikTok getting banned has been a really big topic for a while. I just feel like it’s not nearly as important as it seems. There’s so many other apps that are basically the exact same thing as TikTok now, and so many creators on TikTok have moved to other apps that have kind of replicated TikTok’s style. I almost prefer Instagram Reels. Honestly, my friends spend as much time on Instagram Reels as TikTok, if not more. It’s like, funnier. I feel like a ban wouldn’t be that big of a thing for me. I think a lot of people just move on really quickly.
“I get why it’s getting banned. I mean, there’s a lot of security concerns, like privacy. I personally feel like there’s a bunch of other apps [with] the exact same [issue]. I think TikTok just stands out more because it’s owned by a Chinese company. The government’s kind of scared because they don’t know what they’re doing with the data and stuff. But Trump’s really been fighting to keep it, and I feel like at this point, he’s almost using it as a way to show that he’s like, a guy for the people, and that he can get things done.
“It’s not like TikTok going away is gonna be the end of scrolling and short videos. I’m not gonna, like, stop being on my phone and being distracted because TikTok was banned. I’ll just go on Instagram Reels more often, you know?”
Greta, 17:
“I think a ban would be beneficial, since I do spend more time on TikTok than I should; however, I think the platform also can help people express themselves, connect with others, and get different perspectives on certain topics. When TikTok was banned for a day, my friends and I agreed that it almost felt unnatural not to have it, but in a way, we knew it would be good for us to have a break from it. When TikTok came back, everyone was really relieved and happy to have it again. Since the initial ban, I have been thinking more about the pros and cons of having TikTok, and I don’t think it’s only negative, but I also understand the impact it has in terms of screen time increasing, unhealthy ideas spreading, and more.
“When my friends and I found out about the TikTok ban, initially everyone was sad because we all have such a strong attachment to the app. Then we realized that it would be good for our productivity in school to not have it as a distraction. [But] even though people were saying it would help with productivity, the moment it got banned for a day, people were downloading and looking for replacement apps like RedNote and Instagram Reels.”
Ajani, 18:
“For me personally, at this point, I don’t use TikTok as much as I used to since the first initial ban. If it were to get banned again, I don’t think it would impact my life in an insane way. TikTok definitely plays a role in my social media usage, but not as much as it used to. I use Instagram more than I used to now, maybe due to the initial TikTok ban. However, the banning of TikTok would definitely bring my screen time down. Now that I have already experienced the first TikTok ban, I would not be devastated about it being banned again.”
Connor, 16:
“I think that a potential TikTok ban would be beneficial. I have friends that are on TikTok all day long, doomscrolling and wasting important time for schoolwork, sports, socializing… Although I’m a victim of this too, I only use Instagram and limit myself to one hour a day. This is still a lot of time, but it’s way less than some of my friends, who I see having 11 hours on TikTok when I look at their screen time.
“Although an outright ban of TikTok would be annoying for many kids’ lives, it wouldn’t change them too much. Instead, they would just use Instagram or other platforms and probably spend the same amount of time on that. As for whether the owner of it is the reason it should get banned, I have no idea. Who knows if foreign owners are using it to brainwash us? If that was the case, then a ban would definitely be beneficial, but they haven’t proven anything and seemingly can’t. This leaves the only good outcome to be less kids glued to their screens — which I doubt it will fix.”