The future of TikTok is up in the air. As Gen Z’s favorite social platform, and young people’s go-to for fashion, trends, advice, news, and all things trending, TikTok is staying on top. The entertainment / social app currently ranks in the top three apps overall on both iOS and Google, but as we enter the new year, the U.S. government is cracking down on privacy and safety within the app. School districts across the country are administering their own restrictions, and a movement to ban the app is quickly making its way through Congress. The platform is now strictly “forbidden from being installed on devices owned by the federal government” and according to Reuters, “19 of the 50 states now restrict access to TikTok on government computers.” However, a national ban has been in question since 2020 and YPulse’s The TikTok Effect trend data shows that the app’s user rate isn’t dropping anytime soon—but if it ever does, Instagram is the top app young people say they would flock to next. (The Verge)