President Donald Trump has signed a 75-day executive order to temporarily delay enforcement of the federal TikTok ban to allow more time for his administration to finalize a deal that would transfer the app’s ownership to U.S.-based investors, according to the Associated Press.
The decision follows months of stalled negotiations with ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, as well as conflicts following Trump’s announcement of expanded tariffs on China.
While the White House initially expected China to approve a partial divestment deal, Beijing has since pressed pause to demand that trade issues be addressed first.
The delay has left students across the country, including at Dallas College’s Richland Campus, with more questions than answers.
“Honestly, at this point it feels like a joke,” said Kayla Mendoza, a psychology student. “Every time there’s something new about TikTok getting banned. I’ve stopped taking it seriously until something actually happens.”
TikTok, which boasts over 150 million U.S. users, has been the subject of national security concerns over its data practices and ties to the Chinese government. A law passed in early 2024 required that the platform be sold or shut down by January 19, but this is the second time Trump has postponed enforcement through executive action.
Jorge Reyes, business major at Richland and aspiring content creator, said the delays are frustrating.
“If they’re gonna ban it, just do it already,” Reyes said. “I’ve had to start building on Instagram and YouTube just in case, but the rules keep changing. It makes it hard to plan anything.”
The White House insists progress is being made toward a solution, with President Trump posting on his social media platform, “My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK.” He added that the extension is necessary “to ensure all necessary approvals are signed.”
Despite that optimism, students remain skeptical, both of the government’s intentions and of the broader motivations behind the ban.
“I feel like this is more about politics than TikTok itself,” said Renh Natari, a business major. “If they really cared about data privacy, we’d be having this conversation about every social media app, not just TikTok.”
For now, the platform remains online in the U.S., but the future is uncertain. Unless a finalized deal is reached within the new 75-day window, TikTok could once again face removal from app stores and service shutdowns nationwide.
