TikTok

TikTok is a China-based app that focuses on short-form content. Most videos are between 30 seconds to a minute long. It became very popular around late 2018. In my personal opinion, it is extremely addicting because, for some reason, you might think, “Oh, I’ll just spend 10 minutes on TikTok,” but you’ll end up spending 3 hours. Now, I know this is a self-control issue, but as someone with ADHD, IT IS VERY HARD TO HAVE SELF-CONTROL.

How to Get Around the Ban

First, we need to understand how TikTok is being banned. It has been removed from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Additionally, ByteDance plans to shut down all U.S.-based servers and accounts. So, how can you get around this? Like anything else banned on the internet in your area, the solution is a VPN.

Here are the steps:

  1. Sign out of your TikTok account. Unfortunately, your existing account will no longer be useful.
  2. Download a VPN, such as Mullvad.
  3. Turn on the VPN and connect to a country where TikTok is not banned.
  4. Create a new TikTok account while connected to the VPN.

Once you are connected to a different country’s server, TikTok should allow you to create an account and use the app. It’s that simple.

Why Banning TikTok Is Dumb

The first argument for banning TikTok is that “the Chinese government is spying on us.” But here’s the thing: SO IS EVERY OTHER COMPANY IN THE U.S. They collect and sell data to anyone willing to pay for it. This argument is hypocritical because if the Chinese government wanted our data, they could get it through other means. Also, what about the thousands of other Chinese apps on app stores? Why aren’t they being banned?

The next argument is that TikTok is “shortening people’s attention spans.” Let me get this straight: you’re saying other companies won’t do the exact same thing as ByteDance? This argument is also flawed. Many platforms are designed to capture and monetize attention, and banning TikTok doesn’t solve that problem.

At the end of the day, while I dislike TikTok, I also believe that internet censorship is dumb. It’s extremely difficult to enforce, especially in a country like the U.S., where freedom of information is highly valued.