After TikTok went dark, TikTok users had a mental breakdown from crying and allegedly placing 911 calls to arson. It has been reported that a 19-year-old male set fire to a congressman’s office on Sunday.
The teen, a resident from Menasha in Wisconsin, was fuming with rage over the banned social media app when he started the fire sometime after 1:00 a.m. at a local Republican congressman’s office. Fortunately, no one was at the office at the time of the incident.
According to the authorities, the 19-year-old was found near the burning Fond du Lac office, which was used by Rep. Glenn Grothman. The police reported the young man was in a fit of rage when he started the fire. According to the New York Post, citing statements from the police, the teen confessed to setting the office on fire and told the police he did it “in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban.”
The young man has since been arrested and charged with arson. He is now in custody at the Fond du Lac County jail. The 19-year-old is expected to receive additional charges that should be filed by the local district attorney’s office.
Many American residents broke down online after the popular Chinese-owned social media platform shut down. Congress instituted the ban on the Chinese-owned app, and although the ban took effect on Sunday, the app went dark Saturday night. There are 170 million TikTok users in the United States, resulting in the ban going viral with many negative reactions.
Following the shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump quickly stepped in, pledging to sign an executive order to postpone the ban, which will allow the app more time to make a deal with the US government. After Trump vowed to save the app, TikTok restored its services and thanked Trump for assuring them that they would not be penalised for operating.
The statement released by TikTok Policy on social media X added that TikTok will be working with Trump to keep the app functioning long-term in the United States.
