On Jan. 19, 2025, the social media app TikTok will be banned in the U.S.
TikTok, one of the most popular social media apps in America, is at risk of being shut down unless their parent company, ByteDance, sells the app to an American company, because the Supreme Court is concerned with TikTok selling users data to Chinese companies. But the problem is that it is considered unconstitutional, and it’s causing quite a stir with its large user base.
Despite being called a ban, the app will not be wiped from your phone like some believe, but will be limited. There won’t be any updates, and the app will not be available on the app store after Jan. 19.
Despite this, many users of the app have turned to alternatives, such as the Chinese app RedNote, and other popular social media apps like Instagram and Youtube.
On RedNote, many “TikTok refugees” have been welcomed with open arms by Chinese users. Some bilingual users have been helping translate videos and slang for both audiences.
It is needless to say that American TikTok users are disappointed and upset over this ban. Many have called it “A peek into our dystopian future” because of the reasoning behind the ban.
On the day of the ban, the app “shut down” by letting American users know that TikTok was unavailable at the time. A few days later, for the people who still had to app, a message let them know that the app was now available again.
Needless to say, we hope the ban does not happen again.