Millions of TikTok users in the United States are no longer able to watch videos on the social media platform as a federal ban on the popular app takes effect.
The newly enacted US law prohibiting the use of the platform came into effect on Sunday, a day before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The ban followed months of legal battles and heightened scrutiny over TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,” said a message to users attempting to use the app, used by 170 million Americans. “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
In an interview with NBC News network on Saturday, Trump said he was thinking about giving TikTok a 90-day extension that would allow them to continue operating. If such an extension happens, Trump – who once favoured a TikTok ban – said it would “probably” be announced on Monday, the day that he is sworn in as president.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration with a prime seating location.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” the app said in its message to the US users. “Please stay tuned!”
On Friday, the US Supreme Court upheld a law mandating the app’s ban unless parent company ByteDance divests TikTok’s US operations. The ruling marked a significant escalation in efforts to restrict the app, which officials claim poses a national security threat.
In court, the Biden administration defended the law by citing concerns that TikTok collects extensive amounts of US user data, which could potentially be accessed by the Chinese government through coercion.
Officials have also cautioned that the app’s algorithm, which determines what content users see, could be manipulated by Chinese authorities to influence the platform in subtle and hard-to-detect ways.
However, the US has yet to present public evidence showing that TikTok has shared user data with Chinese authorities or altered its algorithm to serve Chinese interests.
ByteDance has denied any wrongdoing and resisted calls to sell its US operations, leaving the platform in limbo.
The US law requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, blocking new downloads. The companies could face penalties of up to $5,000 per user who can access the app.
Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, would also be legally obligated to enforce the ban.
Meanwhile, US-based competitors such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts stand to benefit from TikTok’s forced absence.
Another Chinese platform, Xiaohongshu, meaning Little Red Book, has gained traction among American users, becoming the most downloaded app on Apple’s US store this week.
Several investors have proposed last-minute solutions to keep TikTok operational.
According to media reports, Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence startup backed by Jeff Bezos, submitted a plan to merge with TikTok’s US business to create a new entity, potentially allowing ByteDance to retain partial ownership.
Other offers, including a $20bn bid from a consortium led by Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary and billionaire Frank McCourt, remain under consideration.
Experts warn that even if Trump issues an executive order to delay the ban, it may face legal challenges.
“Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,” warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of the industry trade group Chamber of Progress.
