Millions of TikTok users in the United States will no longer be able to view their videos on the social media platform as a federal ban on the popular app takes effect.
A newly enacted U.S. law banning the use of the platform took effect on Sunday, a day before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. The ban comes after months of legal battles and increased scrutiny of TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
“A law has been enacted to ban TikTok in the United States,” the message to users trying to use the app, used by 170 million Americans, reads. “Unfortunately TikTok is not available at this time.”
In an interview with the NBC News Network on Saturday, Trump said he was considering a 90-day extension to allow TikTok to continue operating. If such an extension happens, Trump, who once favored a TikTok ban, said it would “probably” be announced on Monday, the presidential inauguration day.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony in good standing.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok after he takes office,” the app said in a message to U.S. users. “Please stay tuned!”
Last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law mandating a ban on the app unless parent company ByteDance sells TikTok’s U.S. operations. The ruling marks a significant expansion of efforts to restrict apps that officials say pose a threat to national security.
In court, the Biden administration defended the law, citing concerns that TikTok collects massive amounts of U.S. user data that the Chinese government could potentially access through coercion.
Officials also warned that the app’s algorithm, which determines what content users see, could be manipulated by Chinese authorities, affecting the platform in subtle and difficult-to-detect ways.
However, the United States has not yet presented public evidence showing that TikTok shared user data with Chinese authorities or altered its algorithms to benefit China.
ByteDance has denied any wrongdoing and rejected calls to sell its U.S. operations, leaving the platform in limbo.
U.S. law requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores and block new downloads. The company could be fined up to $5,000 per user who has access to the app.
Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, also has a legal obligation to enforce the ban.
Meanwhile, U.S.-based competitors like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts could benefit from TikTok’s enforced absence.
Another Chinese platform, Xiaohongshu, which stands for Little Red Book, has gained popularity among American users, becoming the most downloaded app on the US Apple store this week.
Some investors have proposed a last-ditch solution to keep TikTok operating.
Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has filed plans to merge with TikTok’s U.S. operations to create a new entity, potentially allowing ByteDance to retain partial ownership, according to media reports.
Other proposals are still under consideration, including a $20 billion bid from a consortium led by Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary and billionaire Frank McCourt.
Experts warn that even if President Trump issues an executive order to delay the ban, he could face legal challenges.
“Congress virtually wrote this bill to make it inaccessible to the president,” warned Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the Chamber of Progress, an industry trade group.
