While the nation is unsure of what the outcome will be for the beloved TikTok app, many TikTok creators are now faced with new challenges and decisions in the midst of the app’s recent ban and rumored changes to the app’s algorithm, as well as newfound censorships. With having had the Tik Tok app go down for about 24 hours this weekend, it brought upon both viewers and Tik Tok’s avid creators facing the brutal reality of life with no Tik Tok. Some social media gurus are even commenting that they think this brief shutdown was just a fearmongering political stunt while others continue to reminisce on Tik Tok’s good times, fearful that it might disappear again. For now, the app is up and running which is a highlight to Tik Tok creators and artists all over the U.S. but it is still important to note the new changes in censorship and the challenges those present.
Creators and TikTok stars are what keep the app engaging and running with their creativity, empathy, stories, content, or comedy and their livelihoods would be threatened by a long-term ban. It would be so sad to see the app go if there’s not future interventions, especially for those artists and creators who depend on TikTok financially and as their sole platform. Over the last few years, especially since a rise in TikTok use during Covid, TikTok content creators have emerged at the forefront of social media to present themselves as influencers and marketeers in today’s world from whom we learn from and gain inspiration. These creators motivate and encourage others while creating safe spaces for people to connect on this interface. They are so much more than just faces on a screen telling us stories or walking us through their day.
For many people, a TikTok ban would be a loss of community, loss of engagement, loss of comedy, loss of art, or loss of eyewitness news source. However, for the American creators that uplift this app, it will also be a loss of income and a huge adjustment in their lifestyle if they are to navigate a ban. Content creators and TikTok influencers in the U.S. were having to decide on when and where to jump ship. Some of them have even been trying to decide on whether to forge a new path or if it’s time to throw in the towel and others are waiting for a new app to emerge due to Tik Tok’s new questionable integrity. This weekend, these creators were playing a waiting game and coming up with a game plan in case Tik Tok shut down.
Taking the time to hear from a few creators who have curated engaging communities on the app and benefited from TikTok’s creator fund is the best way to gain perspective on the toll this ban would take on those who have mastered the app. When asked in a recent interview with Just N Life how the ban would affect creators, Kelly Having, of the @HavingAGoodYear inspirational TikTok teacher account shared:
Kelly Having: I was saddened by the possibility that the TikTok ban might go into effect. Over the past five years, I’ve consistently created content for the platform, and it has truly become a part of my daily routine. I originally started my page as a resource for teachers– sharing lesson plans, teaching tips, book recommendations, and a glimpse into my classroom life. It has been incredibly rewarding to build a community of educators who can learn from each other. Since then, I’ve also begun sharing my journey as a mom. The interactions and support I’ve found on TikTok are irreplaceable. It has made such a positive impact on my life and I can’t imagine it not being there. I’ll deeply miss the daily engagement that I haven’t been able to find elsewhere.
“I don’t think people fully realize the impact TikTok has had on so many lives. I’ve seen firsthand how it’s transformed the lives of fellow teachers, enabling them to support their families without having to take on a second job. The communities that have formed on the app are truly irreplaceable. Whether it’s connecting teachers, moms navigating postpartum, book lovers, entrepreneurs, or travel enthusiasts, there are countless accounts that resonate with so many different people. In a world that often feels divided, TikTok has brought people together and given them a voice like never before. It has also completely changed the financial trajectory of many lives, helping people pay off debt, student loans, and even buy homes—opportunities that wouldn’t have been possible with just traditional jobs.”
-Kelly Having
Just N Life: How do you think this will affect your following?
KH: I’ve put all my eggs in one basket with TikTok, so if the ban [were to go] into effect, it will significantly impact my following. While I do have other platforms, I haven’t posted on them with the same consistency as I have on TikTok. Over the past five years, I’ve dedicated myself to cultivating a community of like-minded individuals—both teachers and moms—and I know the reach I’ve built on TikTok is something that can’t easily be replicated on other apps.
Kelly Having @HavingAGoodYear on Tik tok
JNL: Do you have plans to continue creating on an alternate social media platform? If so, which ones are you considering?
KH: I planned on transitioning to other platforms, with Instagram and YouTube being the most feasible options. Both require a different approach to content, so I’ll need to challenge myself to learn how to succeed on these platforms.
JNL: How will the TikTok ban affect your source of income or any brand deals you may have?
KH: I feel incredibly blessed for all the amazing opportunities TikTok has given me. I’ve had the chance to collaborate with brands and small businesses that I never could have imagined working with. During my first three years on the app, I didn’t earn any income, but with the introduction of the creator fund, I’ve been able to make money based on my views. This additional income has been a huge help for my family, allowing me to comfortably stay home with our daughter. However, since I don’t have the same following on other platforms—currently under 2,000 followers on Instagram—I won’t be able to monetize my content in the same way. I also won’t be considered for brand partnerships in the same capacity, given my smaller following and engagement compared to what I’ve built on TikTok.
As a former Illinois teacher and a new mom, Having both learns from the app and shares what she has learned with others as she navigates being a mom and offers insightful teacher advice which inspires many teachers throughout the U.S. She has also harnessed TikTok as a marketing tool for helpful classroom content she has created and is available online for purchase via an affordable subscription.
In another response from a TikTok creator commenting on the possible shutdown last week, Brittany Phillips of @MrsPhillipsN5thshared about her difficulties growing a following of the same magnitude as her engaging TikTok account, “My following has not translated at all to comparable platforms. Instagram prefers a very curated, polished vibe, and YouTube prefers a caricature, theatrical vibe -neither of which authentically suits me. So unless those algorithms and viewers change, it looks like I’ll be creating a new, much smaller following.”
Brittany Phillips shares her thoughts on the ban
Having left her full-time job in July to focus solely on the educational coaching brand she has built on TikTok, Phillips shared that a Tik Tok ban would be financially devastating for her. When asked about other apps she is currently pursuing, Phillips noted that she is currently cross-posting on YouTube and Instagram and posting more curated, exclusive content on Patreon to retain her most engaged followers. Phillips also commented that despite understanding the nation’s security concerns, she feels the TikTok ban is being made in haste.
I think the ban is being done in haste and with little consideration to the billion-dollar influencing industry. I understand the security concerns (I guess), but I think a bunch of out-of-touch politicians got caught up in their little modern-day-Cold-War-with-China feels and think it’s harmless enough to just ban an app-not realizing the power, influence, and dependence our modern society has on said app.
-Brittany Phillips
Phillips has been sharing her classroom tips & tricks on classroom management for many years on TikTok and offers virtual coaching to teachers in addition to classroom supplies, printables, and behavior management resources. She is currently supporting a Palisades Elementary school teacher whose school and classroom were destroyed in the California wildfires by sharing her Amazon Wishlist, available here.
Another TikTok creator to highlight in the face of this ban is a Texas teacher, Courtney White of @TeachingwithMrsWhite. White is notable for sharing classroom content and vlogging fun and relatable moments from her daily life. She has also gained a large following from sharing teacher tips, mom tips, fashion moments, & what she’s doing in the kitchen – like a virtual bestie. She recently hosted a successful canned food drive from her TikTok account, another great example that illustrates the good use that creators make of this platform. White began sharing on TikTok in 2019 and noted to Just N Life that she never expected it to take off the way it did and that six years later she has over 850,000 followers and makes a good amount of money each month from the TikTok app.
Tik tok creators share what they suspect about tik tok’s recent ban
Similar to Having and Phillip’s concerns about changing apps, White shares that she feels that engagement is lacking on Instagram as opposed to TikTok, but that she plans to post her regular TikTok content on Instagram to eventually gain back followers she would be losing with TikTok. White shared with Just N Life:
“I will be losing a pretty large source of income for my family if the ban goes into effect. Most months, I make more money on TikTok than I do as a teacher in Texas. One video alone made me nearly half my entire salary for the year which helped my family in the purchase of our new home. I never started my Tik Tok to make money but it has definitely been a huge help to my lifestyle. I’ll probably try to find some other way to make that income now.” -Courtney White
These three TikTok teachers are wonderful examples of how this app can be used to help others and promote educational tools, benefitting American education as a whole. They support and encourage other teachers in a moment when teachers are often under-supported and these communities are great for morale. They share the importance of reading to broaden one’s mind and the powerful tools that educating yourself unlocks. The effect that a TikTok ban will have on fundraising, as well as overall education, would present its own separate issues. Focusing on creators, though, it is hard to grasp what the ban would do to families that have dedicated a lot of their time and energy to educating others on this app.
With the possibility of a grace period being granted, or a change in TikTok app ownership, this ban would not hit as heavily on creators. Hopefully, there will be future intervention to hinder any propositions of banning of the app or some adjustments made to eliminate the newfound censorships. Potentially, an alternate app of similar bandwidth could emerge and would be beneficial for these creators to promptly changeover or have as a backup for their large audience; an app that would not pose any security issues, but time will tell in the coming weeks.
Houston-native, Lifestyle Writer, and Travel Vlogger raised on good books and good travels. Passionate about music, immigration, education, cooking, and taking care of the great outdoors. Spent 5 years living in Scotland embracing the rich Scottish culture, which first revealed this great love for travel. Here to spread love, light, wellness tips and career advice with a background in International Studies.
