University officials from many schools are eyeing a possible ban on TikTok. This ban would mean that students on University campuses would be blocked from the app. In Miami, the Board of Governors held a meeting and showed support for this system-wide policy.

The concept of banning TikTok on university campuses isn’t a new idea. The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Oklahoma and a growing number of other schools have already banned the use of the app on their campuses. The app is typically restricted through university devices and Wifi. 

Specifically, Florida’s governor Ronald DeSantis has concerns about the influence of Tiktok and entities tied to the Chinese government. Desantis will be discussing his legislative proposal, a digital Bill of Rights in March 2023. Desantis made a statement encouraging students and staff to stop using TikTok. 

The bans ultimately stem from security concerns. The parent company of TikTok is ByteDance, which is a Chinese-based company. 

In November 2022, FBI director Christoper Wray announced to congress his extreme concern about the data being collected from the app.

Seniors Kylie Krause and Ellie Hoff will be heading to college in the fall and would be impacted by the TikTok ban. 

“I wouldn’t use it while on campus networks or university devices,” Hoff said. “But I would most likely still keep it on my phone on campus network anyway.”

Many students have turned against using the campus WiFi and just use their own data plans, therefore being able to access TikTok again. 

“I don’t think this is a good plan,” Krause said. “I understand there is a risk in social security, however TikTok is a creative outlet for many students. That may be their job or just their way to escape their stressful lives.”