My friends and I had just landed in Barcelona, jet-lagged and hungry. We needed a quick bite to eat while we waited to check into a hostel. We opened TikTok and searched “good lunch spots near me.” We were bombarded with suggestions, but one spot kept popping up, “Bode B.”
On Instagram Reels, there wasn’t much feedback. On Google Maps, the restaurant didn’t even populate as a suggestion. But on TikTok, we found thousands of engagements, all shouting “this is the best sandwich I’ve ever had!” And let me tell you … it was.
Without TikTok, I would’ve never stepped into that mundane looking sandwich shop, supported their small business, or tasted the world's best sandwich.
It might seem trivial to some — it’s just a sandwich, right? — but my experience is actually a great example of the root problem with the impending TikTok ban. It will restrict people’s access to information – limiting their choices and making their worlds smaller.
Americans are finally waking-up to this government attempt to manipulate the market and restrict consumers' choice and speech. Half of Americans surveyed in March 2023 supported a ban; now a majority of Americans disapprove. As the April 5 extension granted by President Trump quickly approaches, it’s time congress reconsidered the ban, instead allowing the market to decide its fate.
With over 170 million monthly active users in the United States and 7.5 million American businesses using the platform, it’s more than just cooking videos. TikTok is a staple for advertising, marketing and content creation. The ban represents a troubling departure from our market-driven approach to business regulation.
The app has revolutionized marketing for small businesses, allowing them to thrive without the massive budgets required for traditional advertising. And it served as their lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic, when strict government regulations forced countless businesses to close their doors.
The economic impact of a TikTok ban would be far-reaching and immediate. 74% of U.S. businesses on TikTok reported the platform has helped them scale — this includes hiring more employees, increasing their sales, and expanding to new locations. The algorithm's unique ability to match content with interested viewers has allowed entrepreneurs to build customer bases with remarkable efficiency compared to other platforms. If TikTok disappears, these businesses won't easily migrate to other social media — they'll face the daunting task of rebuilding their audiences, and many will fail.
Content creators would be particularly devastated. For many, TikTok represents their primary income source. This isn't just about dancing teenagers — it's about hard-working Americans who have built businesses using the tools available in our modern economy.
The government's justification for this intervention centers on national security concerns related to TikTok's Chinese ownership. But if these concerns are legitimate, why aren't we seeing similar scrutiny applied to other Chinese-owned companies such as Temu, SHEIN, or RedNote?
This inconsistency suggests the TikTok ban may be driven more by competitive interests than national security — a government choosing winners and losers rather than allowing consumers to decide.
The precedent being set here should concern all Americans who value market freedom. This kind of arbitrary intervention creates exactly the kind of unpredictable business environment that discourages investment and innovation. Politicians shouldn’t eliminate a platform that contributes $24.2B to the GDP and is an income stream for thousands of Americans and businesses.
If legitimate security concerns exist, they should be publicly outlined and addressed through targeted regulation that preserves the platform's economic benefits while mitigating specific security risks.
TikTok has already provided an extensive national security proposal – including a kill switch – to mitigate said risks, which lawmakers rejected, and recently added even more child-safety protections. President Trump also made claims that the possibility of a sale still exists, if “the deal” falls through, lawmakers should shift towards reconsidering and renegotiating those options instead of a heavy-handed ban. Even encouraging ByteDance to IPO — which America has made increasingly difficult for Chinese companies — would go a long way towards reducing national security risks.
The market has already rendered its verdict on TikTok — consumers love it, businesses thrive on it, and creators earn livelihoods from it. Politicians have shown their motives are far removed from the economic interests of everyday Americans. It’s time lawmakers back off, and trust the market.
