January 19 the world stopped.

Okay, maybe it didn't stop, but it did for me.

My favorite social media app was (briefly) taken away . . .

I wondered how I would find out about new brain rot words, aesthetics, and the new water bottles everyone obsesses over.

Okay, I am being a bit sarcastic, but trust me: I am a TikTok OG. From 2019 to 2025 I have spent hours saving over 4,000 edits, skits, and “—core” videos.

Now, I would show you my screentime report, but I cannot embarrass myself like that.

Through TikTok I have grown from cringey middle school humor, to less cringey (at least right now) teen humor, and learned crucial lessons like how to effectively pit an avocado and the values of a true sigma.

With the death of TikTok on the line, many avid users like myself were worried about the death of the only social media app that was centered around the youth—a sanctuary from millennials (no hate).

Such agonizing stressors influenced many prominent TikTok personalities to create videos confessing secrets and lies they kept from their fans. TikTok was born from cringe and was going to die with cringe.

Although as a drama queen I recognize the beauty of drama, this trend was nauseating, and while juicy, made me wonder if destroying the app may have been the right move.

Another, albeit less cringey, trend was the TikTok “refugees” and their move to other similar apps like the Chinese app RedNote and Lemon8. On the final days, Chinese songs filled my for you page like lanterns in the sky.

One fellow TikTok OG and Beaver Area senior, Lilley Wells, said that “When [TikTok] came back [after its brief absence], it was worse. The algorithm isn’t the same.”

We noticed how something shifted in the TikTok atmosphere that once felt like home.

Another senior with less brain rot, Noah Miser, said that “[losing TikTok] wasn’t that crazy for me; I just went about my day as normal.”

And when asked what he did to cope Noah said, “Fortnite was my savior. I got Fortnite and a job; that’s all I need.”

Perhaps this is the outlook all of us should live by. Have a passion, work for your future, and limit the brain rot media.

Although I know I am a lost cause, maybe this ban scare can act as a wake-up call and allow you to actualize the person you portray online.