Users Bid Farewell While Battling Possible Ban!

It’s giving HERE WE GO AGAIN! But this time, there’s an even more somber vibe.

Shortly after the House passed legislation on Saturday that could potentially ban TikTok from the United States, many creators and enthusiasts took to the app to say their goodbyes, talk about what they’ve learned from other creators, and encourage people to continue fighting for our right to keep the app.

Hearing that we’re one step closer to possibly losing the beloved app that’s done so much good for so many people has many speaking up. One person who shared why she loves TikTok so much has never posted a video before and said she probably won’t post again.

Katie shared a “farewell to TikTok” in her first and possibly last video on the app after watching the Live vote on whether to ban TikTok on Saturday.

“I just started really reflecting on the past four years that I’ve been watching TikTok. I’ve been just a lurker. I don’t post, I just watch,” she explained. “But it’s meant a lot to me and I wanted to maybe record my first and only video as a thank you.”

Like many others, Katie stumbled upon TikTok in 2020 during the pandemic after her children with disabilities came home from school and she had to be both mom and teacher.

“It was overwhelming. And I lived in a pretty homogenous suburban neighborhood where there was very much one way to be. And I had a mental breakdown,” she continued. “I was prescribed more antidepressants or maybe a stay in a treatment facility for an eating disorder, but instead the thing that really helped me was discovering TikTok and all of you.”

Katie said she learned many things, including a “new parenting language,” and that she had ADHD. She also learned how to manage it from TikTok creators, among many other skills and new mindsets.

“I learned more about my neurodivergent or neurospicy children in the last four years on TikTok than I did almost all of their earlier childhood,” she explained. “I learned how to love my body from so many creators.”

After shouting out some of the creators she learned the most from, she concluded her video by saying, “My world is bigger, my view is bigger, and I’m an incredibly different person. I live an incredibly different life, thanks to all you content creators on TikTok.”

Katie’s first ever video is doing GREAT on TikTok with more than 889,000 views and nearly 10,000 comments in just one day.

Many viewers shared their thoughts about Katie’s video and the possible TikTok ban in the comment section. Some people even shared their personal stories.

“I left my abusive relationship because of TikTok,” one viewer wrote. Another added, “I stopped drinking because of TikTok!” One other viewer shared, “I’m still alive today because of this app.”

Ophelia Nichols, better known as Mama Tot on the app, who Katie mentioned in her video, also dropped into the comments.

“It’s a community that was built off love, laughter, healing, culture, crafts, parenting, and friendship. We love everyone here. Even the people that don’t love us back. Thank you.”

TikTok creator, @glittering_ghostwriter, shared a video explaining what everyone can do to hopefully stop the ban from becoming a reality.

“If you guys wanna stop the TikTok ban, you are going about it the entire wrong way,” she said. “I’ve been politically active most of my life. I have advice for creators on this app and non-creators and it’s advice you have not heard before, but it is the most effective plan to stop this TikTok ban.”

She said that non-creators are the “most important factor” in this plan, and asked them to watch the video all the way through and interact with the video by liking, sharing, or commenting.

“Because believe it or not, you are the determining factor in what goes viral based on how long you watch a video and how you interact with it. So you’ll need to boost every creator that does what I’m about to tell them,” she said.

“Creators, stop just making these generalized videos about how upset you are about the TikTok ban and instead make videos that target your specific senator.”

Viewers shared more information and their thoughts in the comment section.

“Make sure we are using hashtags for senators & companies – to make them easily searchable to increase effectiveness & push. Also, comment their names on unrelated TikTok,” one viewer wrote.

Another added, “This is an incredibly solid plan. Not all attention is good attention, and we really need them to feel the heat of some bad attention.”

Lisa Remillard, known as “The News Girl” on TikTok, shared a video a few days ago about the possible ban. In her video, she shares a “rare on-camera interview” with Michael Beckerman, Vice President of Public Policy at TikTok.

When asked if China has access to U.S. data, Beckerman said, “No.”

“So protected data stays here in the United States and is controlled by the American team, is part of the USDS. And I think a lot of these scare tactics try to push forward a ban, and that’s what this legislation is, is unfortunate,” Beckerman said.

“Because if the politicians address the concerns specifically that they have with all tech platforms frankly, we have already put things in place to address that, and that’s what legislation should be, not to ban one company.”

Remillard’s video goes on to share more information about all TikTok is doing to secure data and make sure the app is operating how it should.

One viewer shared, “My data was stolen in an Equifax breach and I have to pay for credit monitoring the rest of my life. A company that should have the most secure processes!!! Why isn’t Equifax being banned???”

Another person said, “What about the fact that all my American apps show me one topic when I looked at it once on Facebook?”