The beloved social media app, TikTok has been highly discussed amongst Americans following the passing of a bill, approving a national ban on TikTok due to security concerns. The ban is supposed to take place this Sunday, on January 19, 2025.
This past Friday, January 10th, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, challenged the new law, which would require them to sell TikTok to an American company. They challenged this in the Supreme Court, with the argument that it impeded on people’s freedom of speech. However, a ruling is yet to be issued, yet the upcoming deadline increases urgency.
Some people hold out hope that the ban will be appealed, especially after Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey announced he was introducing legislation that would delay the ban by 270 days. Various rumors have surrounded the ban, and a definite outcome is still not confirmed.
Some people also believe that the ban may be appealed or delayed because of Inauguration Day soon following, and statements from Donald Trump suggest he may attempt to save the app.
If TikTok is banned in the U.S, it will not occur immediately. Instead, TikTok will become unavailable in the app store, and will not be able to update. It will soon deteriorate as bugs and lack of updates add up. In preparation for this, people across the U.S are finding new apps that can replace TikTok.
A popular choice is TikTok’s sibling app, Lemon8. Users are creating Lemon8 accounts through TikTok, in search of a similar app. Other alternatives include Youtube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and a separate Chinese owned app, Red Note.
Red Note has gained attention from many TikTok users, as the app is also Chinese owned, and therefore may be similar. Although, due to this similarity, some believe the app will have the same fate as TikTok, and will be banned due to ownership as well.
TikTok is used frequently by people across the United States, causing controversy around the ban. Users of the app continue to wait for the confirmed outcome, cherishing TikTok during what could be its last days.
