Millions of TikTok users in the United States are no longer able to watch videos on the social media platform after a federal ban on the popular app went into effect.
A new US law banning the use of the platform went into effect on Sunday, the day before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. The ban follows months of legal battles and increased scrutiny of TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
“A law has been enacted to ban TikTok in the United States,” a message to users trying to use the app, which is used by 170 million Americans, reads. “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
In an interview with NBC News Network on Saturday, President Trump said he was considering extending TikTok’s continued operation for 90 days. If such an extension were to materialize, Trump, who previously supported banning TikTok, said it would “probably” be announced on Monday, when he takes office.
TikTok CEO Hsu Chu is expected to attend President Trump’s inauguration with a special seat.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated his willingness to work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back after he takes office,” the app said in a message to U.S. users. “stay tuned!”
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law mandating a ban on the app unless parent company ByteDance sells TikTok’s U.S. operations. The ruling marked a significant escalation in efforts to restrict apps that authorities say pose a national security threat.
In court, the Biden administration defended the law, citing concerns that TikTok collects large amounts of U.S. user data and that the Chinese government could force access to it.
Officials also warned that the app’s algorithms, which decide what content users see, could be manipulated by Chinese authorities to influence the platform in subtle and hard-to-detect ways.
However, the United States has yet to present any public evidence that TikTok has shared user data with Chinese authorities or changed its algorithms to serve China’s interests.
ByteDance has denied any wrongdoing and resisted calls to sell its U.S. operations, leaving the platform in limbo.
US law requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores and block new downloads. The companies could be fined up to $5,000 for each user who had access to the apps.
Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, would also be legally obligated to enforce the ban.
Meanwhile, U.S.-based competitors such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts will benefit from TikTok’s forced shutdown.
Another Chinese platform, Xiaohongshu (meaning Little Red Book), has been gaining traction among American users, becoming the most downloaded app in Apple’s US store this week.
Several investors are proposing last-minute solutions to keep TikTok operating.
Jeff Bezos-backed artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI may merge with TikTok’s U.S. operations to form a new entity, allowing ByteDance to retain partial ownership, according to media reports. I have submitted a plan.
Other proposals are also under consideration, including a $20 billion bid by a consortium led by Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary and billionaire Frank McCourt.
Experts warn that even if President Trump were to issue an executive order delaying the ban, he could still face legal problems.
“Congress drafted this law to effectively certify the president,” said Adam Kovacevic, CEO of the Chamber of Progress, an industry group.