The TikTok Ban: what’s happening now?
Photo Credit: Chloe Rutten
By Eleanor Anderson
In February 2024, Congress passed a bill to ban TikTok from the App store on any United States domain. Bipartisan legislators supported this bill as a protectionist measure against ByteDance, one of the major investors in TikTok that is closely linked to the Chinese government. Despite public protest arguing that banning the app would be a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech, former President Biden signed the bill into law in April. Since then, public support for a ban has decreased even further, reaching a shockingly low 23% as of August compared to 50% in March according to Forbes. U.S. representatives for TikTok and several content creators on the app have challenged the law in court, but the Supreme Court has thus far upheld the ban.
After a less-than-24-hour dark period on January 18, during which users with US-based accounts could not access the app, President Donald Trump granted a 90-day extension to grant users who had previously downloaded the app and set up an account could continue to view content. Until just last week, the app remained unavailable for download on devices within the US, with TikTok reappearing for download on Apple’s app store and Google Play on February 13. Even though President Trump initiated the ban in 2020 during his first term, he has since promised to keep the app available.
Notably, President Trump was named in two of the three messages displayed to U.S.-based users, updating them on the status of their TikTok access. After an initial message indicating that ByteDance would be working towards a solution to restore the platform in the United States, an updated version was pushed out specifying that this solution would be tied to efforts soon-to-be inaugurated Trump had “indicated” he would make. When the app went online just a few hours later, users were met with a message letting them know that their return to scrolling was thanks to Trump. While the future for Tik Tok is still unclear, President Trump has until April 19, 2025 to negotiate an agreement between ByteDance and potential US investors.
Nearly half of all Americans (170 million) currently have accounts on Tik Tok, and the public support for purchasing the company is enticing several powerful potential investors. Without much information on the status of negotiations, rumors involve Microsoft, Amazon, Elon Musk, Jimmy Donaldson (better known as content creator MrBeast), and Kevin O’Leary (of Shark Tank), among others. It is possible that one of these entities buys out a majority of ByteDance’s ownership, or several investors together could purchase 51% (or more).
As the future of TikTok remains uncertain, users should appreciate the time they have left with the app. The app may not be permanently banned, but it also may not be around forever. Enjoy the doom scrolling and brain rot while it is still available!
