In recent months (and even years), there has been a tremendous amount of controversy surrounding TikTok.
The app, once known as a platform for sharing music, has turned into a global phenomenon for video sharing. With that fame came controversy – enough to upset two presidents, who then threatened to ban it. Since that threat, the app has been in limbo between getting banned and not.
If you aren’t aware of how things got to be this way, here is a timeline of the highlights of TikTok’s history:
July 2016: Douyin was launched in China
September 2017: Tiktok (international version of Douyin) was launched worldwide, including the USA
November 2017: Toutaio (later acquired by ByteDance) acquired Musical.ly for $1 billion. Merger was completed in August 2018.
February 2019: Federal Trade Commission condemned TikTok for illegally collecting information about children – TikTok settled for $5.7 million.
February 2019: Tiktok gains and exceeds over 1 billion users (that may be when you joined the app)
August 2020: President Trump Issued a ‘Ban order’ on the app.
November/December 2024: Talks about Tiktok getting banned begin resurfacing.
January 2025: President Biden’s administration bans TikTok – the ban lasts for less than one week.
January 2025: President Trump signs an executive order to keep Tiktok up for 75 more days for users.
Now: The government is still searching for buyers for TikTok, but when that 75 days ends, it will likely be banned again unless a suitable buyer emerges.
Over the years, Tiktok has bloomed from a niche Chinese app to a truly global phenomenon. Though there have been lots of controversial things that Tiktok has been noted for, it has also helped support lots of people and helped them find their true selves. Where it goes from here remains to be seen.
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