TikTok Users, Once Again, Fear the App Is Shutting Down

We constantly worry about the things we care for most, and one of those prized possessions happens to be TikTok. The short-form video platform was introduced to us only a few years ago, taking over Musical.ly in 2018, and since that fateful day, it's amassed millions of users. TikTok has become a widely beloved pastime worldwide, and if anything happened to it, devoted users would be truly devastated.

There is currently a nerve-wracking rumor circulating that TikTok may change back to Musical.ly on April 4, and users are extremely worried (and slightly confused!) — here's what we know regarding those agonizing rumors.

Apparently, at the end of last year, there was a rumor circulating that on April 4 — or on April 14 — TikTok was going to remove any accounts that had garnered less than 1,000 likes in total, according to Twitter user @ReaganRichter6. We aren't totally sure why that was a rumor to begin with, but it didn't seem like anything happened in April of last year... thank GOD.

Since TikTok gained tremendous popularity, a slew of rumors have circulated, predicting that Musical.ly is going to come back with a vengeance and ultimately take over TikTok, as TikTok did to Musical.ly a few years back. However, since Musical.ly crumbled several years ago, it doesn't seem like its parent company has any intention of reviving it. Basically, it seems as though two defunct rumors are being combined into one, deeming it "fake news."

At the end of 2019, TikTok was deemed a cyber threat, and all U.S. soldiers were required to delete the TikTok app from any and all military-issued phones. Members of the military are now required to use more discretion than before while downloading social media apps, and they're encouraged to look out for strange or unsolicited text messages. Obviously, they don't want personal or classified information to get out.

TikTok also unfortunately made it onto the infamous "Dirty Dozen" list, which essentially means that it's a hotbed for abusers, predators, and sex-traffickers, and can present itself as a grave threat to minors. The app has since upped its security and watchdog capabilities, however, to hopefully take their name off the less-than-flattering list.

Luckily for TikTok users like you and me, it doesn't seem as though the app is going to shut down, delete unpopular accounts, or be taken over by Musical.ly anytime soon... or ever. A bunch of rumors seem to have been combined into one, so needless to say, it looks like we'll be using the beloved social media app for the long run. 

To be honest, I don't know what I would do without it in my life, especially right now — learning the ever-polarizing dances is definitely helping all of us pass the time in quarantine.