diff --git a/src/utils/constants.ts b/src/utils/constants.ts
index 9696c61538..15abe06c02 100644
--- a/src/utils/constants.ts
+++ b/src/utils/constants.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,7 @@ export const IVLE_KEY = process.env.REACT_APP_IVLE_KEY;
 export const VERSION = process.env.REACT_APP_VERSION;
 export const BACKEND_URL = process.env.REACT_APP_BACKEND_URL;
 export const USE_BACKEND =
-  process.env.REACT_APP_USE_BACKEND !== '' &&
-  process.env.REACT_APP_USE_BACKEND!.toUpperCase() === 'TRUE';
+  process.env.REACT_APP_USE_BACKEND && process.env.REACT_APP_USE_BACKEND.toUpperCase() === 'TRUE';
 
 export enum LINKS {
   GITHUB_ISSUES = 'https://github.com/source-academy/cadet-frontend/issues',