Though there has been much speculation about the potential banning of TikTok, the most recent wave of paranoia seems to be progressing faster than the public imagined.

In early March, the House passed a bill giving the Chinese owner of TikTok two options: sell the app or risk it being banned in the United States.

Before the house vote, Beijing opposed claims regarding the privacy concerns of the app, instead accusing Washington of simply resorting to these measures due to a lack of success in a “fair competition.” While this bill has already been controversial, following through with the banning is sure to create stronger tensions between China and the United States.

As the bill continues its path to the Senate, TikTok users have begun to worry. After its spike in popularity during the 2020 pandemic, TikTok has been integrated into the daily lives of many, especially teens. With the latest fashion trends and newly discovered hobbies filling TikTok’s for-you page, many users are unwilling to give up their main source of entertainment.

TikTok is especially popular amongst high school students. While the bill initially caused minimal reaction, students are beginning to wonder what the fate of TikTok might mean for them.

Freshman Idhika Subish tends to have a majority of her daily screen time taken up by TikTok. “TikTok is the app that I use the most out of all my apps and I know I speak for many other students as well,” she admitted. “We all have this fear that if this ban goes into effect, we’re going to need to find other ways to entertain ourselves.”

With the current generation of students having grown up on technology, hobbies like going to the movies or playing Monopoly seem much less enticing compared to Netflix or Clash Royale. While older generations remain unbothered about the banning of TikTok, teens have a hard time letting go of this particular social media app.

Junior Victoria Rice, however, remains unbothered amidst the chaos. “While many people start to panic at the idea of losing Tik Tok, I don’t think the ban will end up having that much of an effect on viewers,” she states. “Basically every other platform has a short video feature, like YouTube shorts and instagram reels, so viewers will eventually just turn to those platforms instead.”

Though the state of TikTok remains unknown, many students continue to worry. The idea of losing touch with the latest trends instills a level of uneasiness amongst students as they wonder whether they will be forced to turn to knitting sweaters and baking bread for entertainment.