Considering the US Government's decision to ban TikTok (effective on January 19th), do you think Ethiopia should also ban TikTok?
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So, America “banned” TikTok on a lazy Sunday. Of course, this wasn’t the full-blown kind of ban where the app vanishes into the digital abyss. It was more of a political chess move where politicians screamed "National security!" while still finding time to doom-scroll themselves. Now, Donald Trump, with his signature flair for theatrics, decided to make TikTok part of his grand comeback. Why not? Nothing wins hearts and votes like taking on the Gen Z validation machine, which is why the so-called ban was short-lived.
But what about our Ethiopia? The land of aspiration, and, apparently, a growing TikTok obsession. Should we jump on the "ban TikTok" bandwagon? Or not….
TikTok and Ethiopia’s "Creative Industry"
TikTok has given us everything from young Ethiopians creating creative skits, to funny dances to viral challenges involving the ጀበና. It was like the creative floodgates opened, and suddenly, everyone was a content creator. For a country where jobs are scarce and entertainment has high demand, TikTok feels like the right arena
However, TikTok comes with its baggage. Misinformation spreads faster than a viral dance, teenagers spend hours scrolling when they should be doing... anything else, and (some) trends toe the line of being outright culturally inappropriate.
The Good and the Bad
In 2024 Ethiopia was ranked the 7th in Africa for social media users, boasting approximately 24.83 million active accounts. And had 7.05 million active users. Based on these figures Youtube’s estimated users were around 1.11 million users. Although there isn’t available data on the exact number of TikTok users in Ethiopia, a report from 8 months ago indicates it had around three million monthly active users in the country.
This number has its good and bad sides. On the good side, TikTok has turned everyday people into stars overnight, encouraged creative expression, and even been used for educational purposes (yes, really). Plus, for Ethiopian small businesses, TikTok is a free marketing tool that doesn’t require a degree in advertising.
The bad side, however, isn't trivial. Privacy concerns, addiction, and mental health issues top the list. Ethiopia, where internet penetration is still relatively low, might not feel the full brunt of these issues yet—but do we want to wait until it’s a full-blown mess?
Freedom of Choice and Protecting Society
Banning TikTok feels like slapping a Band-Aid on a much deeper issue. Social media addiction, misinformation, and privacy concerns aren’t TikTok-exclusive problems. But freedom of choice also comes with responsibility—something we often forget when we’re too busy chasing views.
So, should Ethiopia ban TikTok? That’s up to you to decide. For now, we’ll keep dancing awkwardly on the fence, waiting for the next viral hot topic. Maybe something like, “Can you survive a week without TikTok?” Now that’s content.
