TikTok’s quick rise to fame captured the attention of students everywhere, but its sudden ban is forcing them to rethink how they engage online. However, nowadays, Instagram Reels seems to be the answer to replacing TikTok. The question is if it is really an equal substitute if there are better options out there that might even surpass TikTok’s influence.
According to Demand Sage, the average number of TikTok users in 2025 is 2.05 billion, which is predicted to rise to 2.14 billion by the end of 2025. Taking away TikTok will be a big change for many people, so the majority of users will start to utilize Instagram more often.
Josh Bowman ’25 who has had TikTok downloaded for many years mentioned how he would miss the app and felt that it was the “go-to” social media app.
“TikTok has impacted my life a lot because it is a big topic of discussion with my friends, also sending videos back and forth was a good way to interact with friends,” Bowman said. “I would miss all the funny videos I have saved that I would like to go back and rewatch.”
With that, because TikTok is in the process of being banned, many people have begun utilizing other social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. The main one that’s been used the most to replace TikTok is Instagram. As stated in Quora, Instagram has 2 billion users and it is the fourth top most social media platform whereas TikTok has over 1 billion users all over the globe. Holly Ulku ’25 explained how she is deciding what platform she will start to use if TikTok eventually gets banned.
“TikTok is my go-to platform to just unwind and relax and to even kill time,” Ulku said. “I absolutely prefer it to other platforms but if I wanted to see what friends were up to I would go to Snapchat or Instagram.”
Equally as important, the main question students are asking is why TikTok is getting banned in the first place. TikTok’s parent company is based in China, and the U.S. government says that means it is a potential national security threat. The U.S. government was concerned with TikTok handing over people’s sensitive data and posing a national security threat.
Eleanor Ryan ’25 described how TikTok has been an influential part of her life and will be disappointed to see it go when she’s had it downloaded for a long time and felt it was her way of winding down. She also noted how although there might be alternative apps that can be used as a substitute for TikTok, they can never replace it.
“TikTok came at the perfect time and really changed how we connect and relate to things,” Ryan said. “If a platform can innovate and build community like TikTok did, it might have a similar impact, though it’ll probably look very different.”
