When it comes to teen crises, a TikTok ban falls somewhere between getting a pimple right before prom and learning that your parents are getting a divorce.
That’s the impression I got after spending last Tuesday morning with 16 students from St. Paul Academy, most of whom defended their use of a social media app that could soon be hard to download.
This was a smart bunch — some of them even take advantage of the high school’s free access to the New York Times. But they’re not above giggling at videos of dancing cats.
When the ban was in effect for about 12 hours last month, sophomore Murphy Miltner was at a volleyball tournament in Milwaukee.
“When we got the message, we all started crying. It was all anyone was talking about,” said Miltner, who, like her classmates, works on the school’s award-winning newspaper, the Rubicon. “When it came back, there was widespread celebration.”
The future of the Chinese-owned app in America remains unclear.
In March 2024, Congress passed a bill banning TikTok unless it was sold, a decision backed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Shortly after returning to office, President Trump issued an executive order that allowed the company to stay online in the U.S. for at least 75 more days.
Young people like junior Andrew Lipinsky wonder why elected officials aren’t focused on more important issues.