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💡The majority of Gen Z users say TikTok feels just as it did before the ban

💡 Most are using the app the same rate as before—not using other apps more instead

💡Most don’t think Trump is a hero for saving TikTok (though some demographics do)

Last month, the Supreme Court upheld the long debated TikTok ban, and the app was taken offline right before the January 19 deadline. Users were greeted with a “TikTok is offline due to a U.S. ban” message, and even other ByteDance-owned apps like Lemon8 and CapCut were pulled from Apple and Google Play stores. But…the ban only lasted 12 hours. 

Behind the scenes, Trump and TikTok execs reportedly worked out a deal ahead of his presidency, and voila!, TikTok was back, complete with a message crediting Trump for its return stating, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” The next day, on his first day as president, Trump signed an executive order extending the ban’s deadline by 75 days.  

Since then, it’s been business as usual—well mostly, if you ask Gen Z. (Which we did.)  

According to CNBC, TikTok had recovered about 90% of the traffic that was seen prior to the ban by the end of January. And on its e-commerce side, TikTok Shop has seen exponential growth, with the U.S. market expected to lead the expansion at nearly 200%. And to think all this happened despite new downloads of the app being off-limits until February 13!  

Now, this week marks the halfway point of the extension, and the app’s fate in the U.S. is still technically up in the air. But what do Gen Z—the app’s biggest fans—think about all this drama?  Amid build-up to the ban, we asked what the young gens would do if the app were to go completely dark. Now that it’s back (for now), YPulse has gotten a lot of questions about whether the ban—or blip as it was—had any impact on young users’ feelings about the app. So, we checked in on whether the talks of the app feeling different post-ban are really true. Earlier this month, we asked 13-39-year-olds TikTok users their feelings about TikTok after the short-lived ban, and it looks like for most, the ban didn’t impact TikTok habits:

Most Gen Z think TikTok feels the same after the U.S. ban      

For a few days after the ban, some young users thought “the vibes were off” on TikTok. There was both trepidation and a bit of paranoia over the app’s complimentary mentions of President Donald Trump in its goodbye and welcome back messages. But despite concerns about features not working or algorithms changing, YPulse data shows for most those feelings were as short-lived as the ban: 57% of 13-17-year-old and 58% 18-24-year-old U.S. TikTok users think the app feels the same after the U.S. ban.  

Of course, 43% of 13-24-year-olds saying that the app does feel different is significant. While not the majority, we would be remiss to ignore the fact that there are some that do feel the vibes are off, so to speak. But either way, the feeling of “business as usual” seems to have won out for Gen Z. Sure, the ban initially stirred up some initial uneasiness among young users, but those feelings likely diminished once users saw TikTok was still standing. And now, after some posts about seeing content they hadn’t typically before, the conversation seems to have died down almost entirely about whether the app feels “different.” 

They’re using the app just as much as before 

The majority of young users haven’t skipped a beat on their TikTok screentime—72% of 13-17-year-old and 70% of 18-24-year-old U.S. TikTok users say they are using it the same amount since the ban, rather than less. And it checks out. Given the way they were mourning the impending “loss” of the app, they clearly weren’t ready to say goodbye. The app bounced back fast: Sensor Tower data shows U.S. downloads surged by 165% after the ban was lifted, and CNBC reported that its traffic nearly returned to normal after the 14-hour shutdown. Not exactly shocking, given Gen Z’s “keep calm and carry on” approach since the threat of a ban became reality in April 2024 when former President Biden signed the bill. 

And while there were of course talks of where Gen Z would go in the event of a TikTok blackout, those 12 hours didn’t drive other apps to replace TikTok. YPulse data shows this is true for teens especially: 65% of 13-17-year-olds say they’re not using other social media apps more since the U.S. TikTok ban, compared to 56% of young adults. With 69% of 13-17-year-olds and 67% of 18-24-year-olds in the U.S. on TikTok, it’s clear that this app is Gen Z’s go-to social platform, and while YPulse found YouTube and Instagram might be the next best options if it ever vanished, these young users know neither Instagram or YouTube are exactly like TikTok. 

They don’t all think Trump is a hero for “saving” the app, but many do    

TikTok sent a message to users thanking President Trump for lifting the ban, making it clear who they were crediting and who they wanted users to give credit to. But Gen Z isn’t totally sold that he’s actually the hero who saved the app. YPulse data shows 57% of 13-24-year-olds don’t think Trump is a hero for saving TikTok—but with 43% saying otherwise, it’s still a pretty close split. Young adults are less likely than teens to think Trump is a hero for saving TikTok, with 52% saying they don’t think he is. But teens are more evenly split in their views, with 52% saying they don’t think he’s a hero for saving the app, and 48% thinking he is. 

Social content reflects the split views of this generation on this topic. Some young people see Trump’s quick move to postpone the ban as a political play designed to win over TikTok’s young users, while others went to social media thanking President Trump for saving the app. Influencers like Kristina Dunn, sporting a shirt with Trump’s face, credited the president for the return of the app saying, “He is the reason TikTok is back.” But our data actually shows that Gen Z females are less likely to think Trump is a hero for saving TikTok than men (47% of males vs 31% of females). No shock there, considering more young adult men (52%) voted for Trump than young adult women (24%).  And YPulse  has said before how many young Americans, especially Trump voters, feel optimistic about the future, as many believe his presidency can save the economy. So, in their eyes, why wouldn’t he be able to save one of their favorite apps, too?