JSU announced its ban of TikTok on all administrative and wireless networks Jan. 19 citing Gov. Kay Ivey’s security concerns as the reason for the ban.
Student reactions have varied. One freshman’s issue was the financial inconvenience the TikTok ban caused.
“People living in the dorms using JSU Wi-Fi are pissed because we are paying for a dorm and Wi-Fi, but we have to use our own data,” she said.
Katie Pruitt, a freshman majoring in Digital Media, echoed similar sentiments.
“It’s very annoying. I have to use my data. Service is bad in my dorm. Without Wi-Fi I can’t get on TikTok at all,” she said.
Other students brought up the mental aspect of the TikTok ban. They described how using the app often offers them a moment to relax in the midst of all their responsibilities.
“I think it’s lame. It can be depressing for students because they use it as a distraction,” said Ashanti Neal, a sophomore majoring in nursing.
Nick Prince, a freshman, felt the same.
“It should be allowed because it gives us a break. I understand, but I don’t think it should be banned,” he said.
Dwight Oatis, a sophomore, had conflicting feelings towards the ban.
“There’s nothing we can really do about it. I see both sides. TikTok can take some of our school info, but on the other hand I love TikTok,” he said. “JSU’s service is already bad. All I can do is watch TikTok. Now that I can’t do that, what am I going to do?”
When asked how important this issue was to him on a scale of one to five, one being irrelevant and five being extremely important, he rated it a four and a half.
One student rated the issue a two, but felt that JSU was overreaching.
“It’s a little unnecessary. Maybe it should be banned on staff technology but not students’ technology,” she said. "JSU shouldn’t have control over our personal devices. It’s just a way to kill time and I use it for fun and entertainment purposes.”
The students that were unaware of the reason for the ban were given context and told that it was because of the potential security threat that TikTok poses with its data collection. This did little to change the opinions of most though.
“I think it’s pretty stupid. It’s not that big of a deal,” said Collin Goff, a freshman majoring in biology. “All of the data mining [China is doing] doesn't matter because of more pressing issues.”
A sophomore who goes by the name Mil expressed how he too felt the ban was pointless and that JSU had more important issues. He mentioned that he’d heard others speaking of transferring because of the ban.
“What’s China going to find on my phone? We’re just students. They should be focusing on the housing issue instead of TikTok—and the parking spots,” he said.
Several students said they simply didn’t care due to either not being a TikTok user, being a commuter, having their own data to use or having a VPN. The overall importance rating given was a three.