TikTok’s fate could be decided in the next few days. The Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of a law that would ban the popular social media platform in the U.S. if its China-based owner, ByteDance, doesn’t sell off its U.S. operation by January 19.
TikTok, the ubiquitous social media app famous for its short-form video content, currently has about 170 million users in the U.S. If the Supreme Court upholds the law, the future of TikTok in the U.S. would be in question.
The law being reviewed is the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which President Biden signed into law in April 2024. It grants the government the authority to ban foreign-owned apps that it deems a threat to national security.

The bill passed with considerable bipartisan support. Many lawmakers are concerned that the Chinese government could access Americans’ data (via TikTok’s parent company ByteDance) and use it to spy on Americans, spread misinformation, and attempt to sway public opinion. While the law concerns TikTok, it actually targets the companies that make the platform accessible in the U.S., including the Apple and Google app stores and cloud service providers such as Oracle.
The law makes it illegal for any such entities to “distribute, maintain, or update (or enable the distribution, maintenance, or updating of) a foreign adversary controlled application” either through a marketplace or internet hosting services.
On January 11, the Supreme Court heard arguments from government attorneys, who say TikTok poses a threat to U.S. national security, and from lawyers for the social media platform. Experts said the justices seemed receptive to the government’s case, increasing the likelihood of a ban.
So, what happens if the ban takes effect on January 19th?
It’s hard to predict exactly what will happen. The app could remain available to current users. It may “go dark” and be unavailable and unusable. Here are some probabilities…
- If you already have TikTok on your phone, it won’t be illegal to possess. If you already own it, you won’t be punished or in trouble for signing in. The law does not target individual app owners/users.
- The app will most likely disappear from the application stores and will no longer be available for download through those venues.
- Users will no longer have the ability to update the app, fix bugs, etc.
- Without the ability to update, the app will eventually become incompatible with phone operating systems.
- Over time it will get harder and harder and take more technical savvy to access the app.
- TikTok officials say it is possible that on Jan. 19, when U.S. users try to open the app, a prompt will show up indicating the service is no longer available in the country.
- Users may still be able to access the app by setting up a virtual private network (VPN) on a web browser.
Whatever the outcome, experts recommend that users download their data and save any videos that they want to be able to access in the future.
How might the Trump administration react to a ban?
The potential ban would take effect on Jan. 19, the last full day of Biden’s term. President-elect Trump has his own strong views on TikTok. Trump previously regarded the app as a national security threat and tried to ban it during his first term. He has since changed viewpoints and become a defender of the platform and asked the Supreme Court last month to pause the start date of the law in question.
Moving forward Trump could pursue several options. He could try to convince Congress to repeal the original 2024 law that requires ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations. He could direct the Justice Department and attorney general to not enforce the law, essentially giving Google, Apple and others the option to continue providing services to TikTok. Or he could choose to use his broad authority to determine that ByteDance has engaged in a “qualified divestiture” of TikTok after all, as long as it has taken certain steps to that effect.
Rumors of a sale?
A report on Tuesday from Bloomberg suggested that Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option that would essentially involve selling the app to Elon Musk and having the Musk-owned X take control of the U.S. operations of TikTok. That could help boost advertising efforts of the platforms, as well as potentially harnessing large amounts of TikTok data to boost Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI.
One of the obstacles to any deal could be buying the app without the algorithm, especially amid pressure from other contenders like Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), or a joint bid led by billionaire Frank McCourt and Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary. At this point such developments are still considered to be rumor.
What are some TikTok alternatives?
Users looking for an alternative to TikTok have several other social media apps to consider:
Xiaohongshu (a.k.a. RedNote) – Another Chinese social media app that combines e-commerce and short-form videos.
Lemon8 — Also owned by ByteDance, Lemon8 is a lifestyle app that allows users to post pictures and short-form videos. It’s been described as a mixture of Instagram and Pinterest.
Meta’s Instagram — Instagram launched Reels in 2020, a TikTok-like feed of short videos that users can create or scroll through. As of 2022, Instagram had 2 billion active monthly users.
YouTube — Though TikTok dominates headlines, Pew Research Center says YouTube is actually the most widely used platform among teens and adults.
Snapchat — Launched in 2011, Snapchat is known for its “disappearing” video format.
Twitch — The Amazon-owned platform is a leader in the streaming industry.
Clapper — a TikTok clone launched in 2020 by Dallas-based entrepreneur Edison Chen, and focuses on Gen X and millennial users.
UPDATE: On Friday, January 17, TikTok issued the following statement:
“The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans.
“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19.”
UPDATE: Trump says he will ‘most likely’ give TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid a ban
President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker Saturday that he will “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a potential ban in the U.S. after he takes office Monday.
UPDATE (Saturday 1/18/25): Access to TikTok is denied.
Users who attempt to open or sign into the app are greeted with this message.
