In just the past week, the Chinese platform Rednote has welcomed more than 700,000 new users, signaling a major shift in social media trends.
Apps for virtual private networks — more commonly called VPNs — are surging in Apple’s App Store.
VPNs allow people to route their internet traffic through servers often in other countries as a way to sidestep censorship and get around bans. It’s not clear if those apps are helping users access TikTok, as many in the U.S. have said on social media that the app is unavailable even through a VPN.
During his first term, President elect Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to ban TikTok. But during his 2024 campaign, he joined the platform and changed his position on the app, saying he would “save TikTok” in a June video.
Now, the outgoing Biden administration has said it would leave enforcement of the ban to Trump. In a video posted to social media (including TikTok, before it went dark), TikTok CEO Shou Chew thanked Trump “for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States.”
In response to the Supreme Court’s Friday ruling, Trump issued a statement on Truth Social, writing, “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!”
After a bipartisan bill to remove TikTok from app stores in the U.S. or force its sale passed last year, some officials in Washington now want to delay the ban from going into effect.
Instead, they said they want to see a delay to allow TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, more time to sell the app to a U.S. buyer.
TikTok confirmed on Friday that it planned to go dark, saying in a post on X that it needs more clarity from the Biden administration and the Department of Justice regarding the ban that’s scheduled to go into effect today.
“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,” the company wrote.
In recent months, hundreds of TikTok users have lamented the looming ban, posting videos showcasing their anxiety, anger and grief as they prepare to lose access to it.
“There’s going to have to be sacrifices made, and it obviously does make me worry about everyday life, like groceries, rent, all those sorts of stuff,” Jonathan Miller, a songwriter and music commentator who has been a full-time creator since 2010, told NBC News in December.
Ahead of the ban, TikTok pushed some users to its sister app Lemon8. The app, which rose in the App Store charts this month, has a variety of features including an Instagram-like photo option, TikTok-like videos that appeal to users’ specific sensibilities and interests, and a Pinterest-like interface that allows users to interact with different types of content at once.
But on Saturday evening, Lemon8, as well other Bytedance-owned apps Capcut and Gauth, were also unavailable to many U.S. users.
That’s because the law, which was upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, stated that any of ByteDance’s subsidiaries could be also be banned.
On Saturday, some TikTok users moved to rival social media platforms to commiserate over the app’s shutdown.
The popular Liza Minnelli Outlives X account weighed in, alerting followers that the actress outlived the app, “forcing many people to find new ways to waste time.”
One user compared TikTok to the Detroit Lions because they were both “eliminated by Washington.”
President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in a phone interview 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.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump said in the phone interview.
“If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday,” he said.
TikTok greeted users opening the app Saturday night with the message, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”
The notice TikTok users are getting when they try to use the app on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.NBC News
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.,” the message continued. “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
