Supreme Court Upholds US TikTok Ban: What Happens Now?

TikTok Goes Dark

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Despite the ban taking effect on Sunday, this doesn’t necessarily mean that TikTok will disappear from the lives of Americans immediately. A few ideas have popped up over the last week, with varying impacts and outcomes:

• TikTok will pull the plug itself – TikTok is supposedly keen to completely shut the app down in the US if the ban goes ahead, so we’ll have to see if TikTok sticks to this on Sunday
• TikTok will disappear gradually – for existing users, you should be able to access the app post-ban, but without updates in the US, the app will eventually become unusable
• TikTok will be sold – there have been rumors of Elon Musk or YouTuber MrBeast buying the platform, but TikTok has remained fairly adamant it won’t sell

Many users – known as “TikTok refugees” – have already flooded to TikTok alternatives, such as RedNote, in preparation for the app shutting down. It’s likely even more will consider other social media platforms following the Supreme Court’s decision.

Could Trump Save The Day?

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This week, President Biden said he will not enforce the ban on his last day in office, with President-elect Donald Trump taking over the day after the ban takes effect. Could there be hope for the app’s future in Trump’s seemingly pro-TikTok administration? Trump unsuccessfully called for an extension to the ban’s deadline in December 2024.

After today’s Supreme Court’s ruling, in which they voted 9-0 in favor of the ban, Trump shared his thoughts on Truth Social:

“The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”

Implementing the law will fall under Trump’s administration, but we’ve yet to hear a detailed plan about what Trump’s next steps might entail. It could be anything from stopping the ban from being enforced entirely to delaying the ban to a later date.

Despite business owners and American TikTok users feeling anxious about what could happen to their online platforms and followings, we’ll have to hold our breath and wait until Sunday to see what will actually happen. Will it be a big dramatic end to everyone’s favorite video app or will nothing really change right away? In Trump’s words, stay tuned!