Higher powers are seriously threatening Gen Z’s favorite app.
The US government is attempting to ban TikTok. The app is a popular social media network primarily consisting of short-form videos operated through parent company Byte Dance. Today, the app has over 4.5 billion downloads, 63% of whom are teens aged 13 to 17. For reference, there are around 8 billion people alive today.
President Biden signed the bill to ban TikTok which was passed in an event to control surveillance and espionage operated through the app by its Chinese ownership, Forbes reports. TikTok has entered the scramble of courts, starting with the D.C. Court of Appeals, in an attempt to get the bill overturned so TikTok can still operate in the US. Yet, the reason it is front-page news today is because the ban date is set for tomorrow, Jan. 19. As a last attempt, TikTok appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the app as a legitimate threat to national security.
TikTok is prepared to shut down all operations in the US tomorrow, Reuters reports. The ban would still technically allow the app to exist; however, users would not be able to download or update the app, rendering it unusable and unrecognizable.
The Washington Post reports that president-elect Trump has made moves to attempt to executively overhaul the ban to a 60-90 day extension, but there is no opinion on how he could legally attempt that order, as his office begins on Monday.
Additionally, there have been numerous rumors of a buyer appearing. There were numerous proposals submitted by investors, including a $20 billion offer from Kevin O’Leary and an informal offer from Mr Beast on his TikTok. There were even rumors of Amazon being a potential buyer. It appears that Chinese government officials have only approached Elon Musk, the owner of X, formerly Twitter, as a buyer due to his close relationship with incoming president Trump; however, Byte Dance denies claims to sell, according to Forbes.
TikTokers everywhere are looking for a new platform. Many have turned to the Chinese-owned app, Xiaohongshu or RedNote, due to its similarity to the app’s style and functions where short videos are the primary form of media. Other alternatives include YouTube Shorts or Instagram reels, but the comment sections on TikTok seem to show a worry that the “vibe” of the app can never be reproduced.
On RedNote, American users have clustered together under #TikTokRefugeeClub. On TikTok, users cope with the app leaving in a joking atmosphere, by making memes and references to popular culture, but overall feel seem to negative about the ban.
One teen on TikTok says that they view the ban as “pointless.” Nonetheless, influencers and popular creators have begun the attempt to shuffle their followers toward their other platforms as they prepare for the app’s potential shutdown.
