Popular social media platform TikTok officially shut down in the United States on Jan. 18, 2025, only to be restored just hours later, following mixed signals from the government and confusion for users.
The app, which boasts over 170 million users in the United States, was deemed a threat to national security because its parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing. Reports in 2022 revealed ByteDance’s potential access to American users’ data and private information, prompting federal action to limit China’s influence over millions of Americans. Officials also expressed concerns about China’s control of TikTok’s algorithm and its potential impact on Americans who rely on the platform for information, particularly during global emergencies.
In April 2024, Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which President Biden signed into law, setting a January 19th deadline for ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a nationwide ban. The act passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Despite having the option to sell TikTok to avoid a ban, ByteDance insisted that divestment is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally.” Additionally, the Chinese government declared they would “firmly oppose” any sale of the platform.
The Biden administration decided not to enforce the ban in the final hours of his presidency, opting to leave TikTok’s fate in the hands of President Trump.
However, the ban still went into effect as TikTok made good on its promise to “go dark” just hours before the ban’s deadline. The platform informed users on Saturday night that the app was “temporarily unavailable” and they were working to restore it “as soon as possible” with the help of Trump. On Sunday, the app began restoring service to its American users, thanking Trump for his “strong stand for the First Amendment.”
While ByteDance reinstated TikTok for users who had already downloaded the app, TikTok is no longer available on Apple or Google’s app stores. Under the law banning TikTok, the companies could be fined billions of dollars for providing TikTok’s services to consumers or updating the app, even though Trump has promised not to impose the fines.
The newly inaugurated president is expected to sign an executive order to extend the ban’s deadline and give ByteDance more time to sell, although it’s unclear if this is legally allowed unless Trump can prove ByteDance is already in the process of selling the platform.
Regardless of what Trump decides to do in the first hours of his presidency, the app’s long-term future remains uncertain under his administration. Once a vocal critic of the platform, Trump attempted to ban TikTok multiple times during his first term in office.
Trump reversed his stance on TikTok in early 2024, arguing that a ban would set a “dangerous global precedent” and strengthen Facebook, a platform he labeled an “enemy of the people.” He filed an amicus curiae brief in the Supreme Court case TikTok, Inc. v. Garland, asking the court to delay the ban so he could resolve the issue after taking office. In the brief, Trump abstained from taking a position on the case’s constitutional question — whether Congress’s ban violated TikTok’s First Amendment rights.
In a unanimous ruling Jan. 17, the Supreme Court upheld the federal TikTok ban, stating that Congress did not violate the First Amendment by forcing ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a ban. Despite the justices noting how TikTok was a “source of community” for many Americans, they found that the national security risks China’s control of the app posed outweighed any First Amendment protections.
The case reached the Supreme Court after TikTok appealed a federal appeals court’s decision affirming the ban, arguing that it infringed on their and their users’ freedom of speech. In previous years, the conservative-led court often supported defendants arguing for First Amendment rights and sided with the federal government on national security concerns. In this case, the justices could not reconcile both positions.
Junior Jules King is unsure about the effectiveness of the ruling, given how long TikTok has been a staple of modern American life, but thinks a ban could lead to a healthier life for many TikTok users.
“It’s good in principle but also too late because the Chinese already have our information,” King said. “As much as I love TikTok, I do agree that another country having our data isn’t the best. Honestly, it’s probably for the better because I’ll be on my phone less and modern society is way too addicted to their phones.”
Americans remain largely divided and uncertain about the possibility of a ban. A September 2024 Pew Research Center poll found that 39% of Americans were unsure whether to support or oppose the ban. Support for the measure dropped to 32% — down from 50% in a March 2023 poll — while 28% disapproved of the bill. From a partisan perspective, 41% of Democrats were not sure about their stance, with 34% opposing the ban. Meanwhile, 42% of Republicans approved of the ban.
Junior Cece Tello expressed unhappiness with the ban and said she thought it was a “hoax” until it actually happened for a few hours, similar to what many TikTok users were feeling.
“It’s a violation of human rights, and it’s ridiculous and super dumb,” Tello said.
Many influencers and companies offering sponsorships to content creators remain uncertain about the future success of TikTok creators given the fluidity surrounding the platform.
Lisette Sand-Freedman, a founder of the communications and marketing agency Shadow, expressed her concerns to The New York Times about the future of content creation following the TikTok ban.
“I would probably not cast [TikTok creators] in anything big right now,” Sand-Freedman said. “It just wouldn’t make any sense to cross your fingers and pray their content would work somewhere else.”