The TikTok Paradox: The App’s Increasing Relevance and Controversy in the Face of the 2024 Presidential Election

Blog Post | 113 KY. L. J. ONLINE | October 23, 2024

The TikTok Paradox: The App’s Increasing Relevance and Controversy in the Face of the 2024 Presidential Election

By: Riley Fort, Staff Editor, Vol. 113 

TikTok, a social media platform that allows users to share short videos,[1] is currently the subject of a unique paradox: the 2024 presidential candidates are utilizing TikTok to reach younger target audiences,[2] while several states have filed lawsuits against the app because of its harmful effects on young users.[3] TikTok users are challenged with balancing TikTok’s negative impacts on their mental health with its informational benefits.[4] Despite concerns about TikTok’s harmfulness to young users (and, of course, the impending TikTok ban due to national security concerns),[5] TikTok’s role in this election is crucial – and potentially a game-changer.

While the 2020 presidential candidates avoided TikTok entirely, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, as well as their vice-presidential nominees, all have TikTok accounts.[6] Vice President Harris in particular has utilized TikTok to her advantage by participating in TikTok trends, such as setting her videos to music by popular artists Chappell Roan and Charli XCX.[7] Young users are even doing a lot of the work for her. They are generating their own memes, reposting clips from her appearance on the popular podcast “Call Her Daddy,” and referring to her as “America’s Fun Aunt.”[8] All of this depicts Vice President Harris in a very approachable and relatable manner, which could potentially serve to her benefit. Additionally, former President Trump, despite calling for a TikTok ban in 2020, amassed over 2 million followers within 24 hours of joining the app, and he recently posted a TikTok with social media influencer Logan Paul.[9] TikTok itself has even recognized its growing popularity as a source for political news, recently adding more content about media literacy and developing a landing page for election information.[10] The presidential candidates recognize the importance of the young vote – and what better way to get them to the polls than by using their favorite app? 

Meanwhile, more than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against TikTok this month.[11] Their primary argument is that TikTok executives have purposefully designed TikTok to be addictive for young users, despite knowing that TikTok can cause profound psychological harms, such as anxiety and depression.[12] According to the lawsuit filed by the state of Kentucky, the company conducted research that revealed two things: children were extremely susceptible to TikTok’s powerful algorithm (also known as the “For You Page” or “FYP”), and excessive use of TikTok could lead to harmful mental health issues.[13] TikTok has continuously been criticized for harming young users, but this joint effort by several states is the most significant legal challenge TikTok has faced to date.[14] 

The dual narrative surrounding TikTok shows a tension between political engagement and public concern. On the one hand, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are using TikTok to connect and engage with young voters. On the other hand, the ongoing lawsuits against TikTok demonstrate the seriousness of the app’s negative impact on this young audience. As the rest of the election season unfolds, I am interested to see how our presidential candidates handle this “TikTok Paradox.” Certainly, the tension between leveraging TikTok’s reach and addressing its potential harms will remain at the forefront of public debate.  

[1] TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/about?lang=en (last visited Oct. 14, 2025).

[2] How The Internet, Social Media, And Podcasts Are Impacting The 2024 Election, NPR (Oct. 10, 2024, 4:53 PM), https://www.npr.org/2024/10/10/1210938545/1a-10-10-2024.

[3] Haleluya Hadero & Barbara Ortutay, TikTok is Designed to be Addictive to Kids and Causes Them Harm, US States’ Lawsuits Say, AP News (Oct. 8, 2024, 6:52 PM), https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-lawsuit-youth-mental-health-2993f8e70d2e3d4eab9988df168fb948.

[4] Id.

[5]  Bobby Allen, TikTok Fights for Survival in Latest Filing as Ban Approaches, NPR (Aug. 15, 2024, 9:42 PM), https://www.npr.org/2024/08/15/nx-s1-5077782/tiktok-survival-filing-ban-approaches.

[6] Sapna Maheshwari, TikTok Expands Its ‘How to Vote’ Resources Ahead of the Election, New York Times (Sept. 4, 2024), https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/04/business/tiktok-vote-election.html.

[7] Conor Murray, Kamala Harris Chases TikTok Trends—And Rakes In Big Views—In Bid For Gen Z Votes, Forbes (July 26, 2024, 1:19 PM), https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/07/26/kamala-harris-chases-tiktok-trends-and-rakes-in-big-views-in-bid-for-gen-z-votes/.

[8] Jordan Hoffman, Politics is TikTok’s Newest Dance Move, Foreign Policy (Sept. 6, 2024, 3:45 PM), https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/09/06/tiktok-us-election-harris-trump-politics/.

[9] Katherine Fung, How TikTok Could Decide the 2024 Election, Newsweek (June 3, 2024, 1:59 PM), https://www.newsweek.com/how-tiktok-could-decide-2024-election-1907466.

[10] Maheshwari, supra note 5.

[11] Hadero & Ortutay, supra note 3.

[12] Id.

[13] Cristiano Lima-Strong, Drew Harwell & Julian Mark, TikTok Knew Depth of App’s Risks to Children, Court Document Alleges, Washington Post (Oct. 11, 2024, 5:21 PM), https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/10/11/tiktok-lawsuit-children-addiction-mental-health/.

[14] Id.