TikTok swept into the social media landscape with an enviable force. It seemed to totally capture the hearts and minds of the youngest generations among us with its addictive platform that offers you short-form video after short-form video. Even millennials are not immune to TikTok’s wiles. For some, influences and artists alike, TikTok has also been a lucrative place to grow a business and make a living. But now, the TikTok ban threatens to outlaw TikTok from the US. The ban became an active law as planned, but TikTok is not yet exactly banned from the United States, although the January 20 date has come and gone. The Supreme Court left the ban in place, and TikTok shut down in the US for a period. But that wasn’t nearly the end of the story.
What’s been happening exactly? Here’s the current State of the TikTok ban Union.
Quick Links:
- Latest Update on the State of TikTok in the United States: Is TikTok Banned?
- What Day Will the TikTok Ban Take Effect Now?
- The Supreme Court’s TikTok Ban Deliberations: The Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban
- What Does It Mean That TikTok Is Banned? Will the App Disappear?
- The Current Overall State of Affairs Regarding a TikTok Shut Down

Latest Update on the State of TikTok in the United States: Is TikTok Banned?
The Supreme Court upheld the TikTok ban, making it into a law that went into effect on January 19. Once the TikTok ban was officially going to be made legal, TikTok shut down for United States users on Saturday, January 18. Of course, it was not required to do this. However, TikTok did not stay shut down for very long and returned again on Sunday, January 19. The messaging around these shutdowns and returns felt quite suspiciously politically motivated.
On Tuesday, January 21, the new United States president had his first day in office. The president signed an executive order that allowed TikTok a 75-day extension and delays the implementation of the TikTok ban law by that amount of time. “In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” TikTok said in a post on X. It noted, the president “provide[ed] the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.” TikTok affirmed it hoped to remain available long-term in the United States. Note that if progress is made toward a sale, TikTok will have a 90-day extension that is a part of the terms set in the original law.
TikTok remains unavailable on Android and iPhone app stores but can be used by existing users.
Marvel Snap and CapCut Also Went Down in the TikTok Ban Mayhem
In addition to TikTok, the popular editing app CapCut, also owned by ByteDance, and the popular mobile game Marvel Snap also shut down. CapCut has since returned online as has Marvel Snap.
It seems that a subsidiary of ByteDance published Marvel Snap, but the game had not expected to be purged in the preparation for the TikTok ban. Developer Second Dinner noted that this shutdown of Marvel Snap had come as a surprise. “Marvel Snap is back online in the U.S.,” Second Dinner chief development officer Ben Brode shared on the official Discord for the game. “But to make sure this NEVER happens again, we’re working to bring more services in-house and partner with a new publisher.”
Worried users take note that Marvel Snap’s senior community manager Griffin Bennett revealed, “Second Dinner is committed to ensuring that all players are compensated for their lost time,” including for missing “time-based content, rewards, and missions.”
What Day Will the TikTok Ban Take Effect Now?
TikTok received a 75-day extension from the president, which means the TikTok ban law will now go into effect on April 6, 2025. If progress is made toward a sale, TikTok could have until April 19, 2025 before it is banned.
The Supreme Court’s TikTok Ban Deliberations: The Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban, Putting the Nail in TikTok’s Coffin
On January 17, the Supreme Court did not strike down the TikTok ban after days of deliberations. That means there’s nothing technical to stop the TikTok ban from becoming law, effectively making the use of TikTok illegal, although the president has now delayed the date of the law taking hold. The Supreme Court unanimously voted to uphold the law, rejecting the idea that banning TikTok infringed on the right to free speech. That means the TikTok ban law will go into effect on January 19. We discuss in more detail below, but in broad strokes, much of the government signaled that it felt the app threatened a risk to national security as long as it is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
The Chinese embassy has criticized the ban, noting in a statement, “The U.S. has never found evidence that TikTok threatens U.S. national security, but it has used state power and abused national security reasons to unreasonably suppress it, which is not fair or just at all. The U.S. should truly respect the principles of market economy and fair competition, stop unreasonably suppressing companies from other countries, and provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for companies from all countries to invest and operate in the U.S.”
What Does It Mean if TikTok Does Get Banned? Will the App Disappear?
But what will happen if the TikTok ban law goes into effect in full force in 75 or 90 days? Will the app simply disappear from our phones? It’s not likely to work like that. TikTok’s lawyer Francisco noted during the Supreme Court delibrations, “As I understand it, we shut down. What the act says is that all of the other types of service providers can’t provide service either. So essentially what they’re going to say is that, I think, ‘we’re not going to be providing the services necessary to have you see it.’ So it’s essentially going to stop operating. I think that’s the consequence of this law.”
While no one is sure what this means in full, essentially, it seems to mean that should the TikTok ban be completely upheld as designed by the law, new users will simply be unable to download TikTok. That will be because app stores, such as the ones that will let you download the app onto an iPhone or Android, will no longer be allowed to support or offer the TikTok app. Additionally, users who have already downloaded TikTok will not be able to download updates and bug fixes for the app or be able to improve the security features of their version of TikTok. This will eventually render the use of their current version of TikTok impossible, degraded, and dangerous, creating vulnerability on users’ devices and a poor user experience.
It’s possible the government could also order American internet service providers to block the TikTok website, but it seems this is a much more complicated tactic to take.
Of course, even after the ban, ByteDance could find a new non-Chinese owner for the TikTok app, which would theoretically lift the ban, returning users access to TikTok.
The Current Overall State of Affairs Regarding a TikTok Shut Down
On January 10th, the Supreme Court heard opening arguments in the case of the TikTok ban, and on January 17, they elected to up uphold the ban law. There’s a lot of legalese involved, but in short, TikTok and ByteDance argued that the TikTok ban/shutdown is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment rights of its 170 million users. While some Supreme Court justices acknowledged the truth of this, the opposition argument is that TikTok does not have to shut down, it simply needs to divest of its owner ByteDance. ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok is a concern to the United States government, which believes the company is using TikTok to spy on Americans for the Chinese government, as well as to spread Chinese-centric propaganda. Ultimately, the Supreme Court upheld the law and allowed the TikTok ban to take effect. But as we go into above, it’s not that simple.
You can still listen to the Supreme Court’s discussion about TikTok on YouTube via PBS NewsHour.
On April 24, 2024, President Biden signed the TikTok divest-or-ban bill into law, which also passed in Congress. Now, the new date for the TikTok ban to go into effect appears to be April 6, 2025. What exactly will happen to TikTok? Only time will tell.
Originally published on January 10, 2025.