The United States’ potential ban on TikTok has been a hot topic for a while now, but drama and tensions have risen dramatically in recent months as the ban – to many people’s surprise – came to fruition. Well, sort of. With Trump back in office, things have stalled, but the story is far from over. The hot-and-cold nature of the situation has left users, influencers, and brands scrambling to keep up and, quite frankly, a little confused about what comes next. So, let’s clear up that confusion and dissect the ban, the latest developments, and what the future might hold for TikTok’s operations in the United States.
A timeline of events
Talk of a ban on TikTok has been ongoing since 2020. Here’s a look at how we got to where we are now:
August 2020: Late in his first presidential term, Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening to ban TikTok unless ByteDance sold its U.S. operations, citing national security concerns. Nothing came of it, but the idea of a ban was officially on the table.
June 2021: With Trump out and Biden in, things cooled down – at least for a while. Biden revoked Trump’s TikTok ban orders but launched a broader review of foreign-owned apps to assess potential security risks.
March 2024: The debate over TikTok hit full speed when the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill giving ByteDance a choice – sell TikTok to a U.S. company or face an outright ban.
April 2024: The Senate approved the bill, and Biden signed it into law, setting January 19, 2025, as the deadline for TikTok to either find a U.S. buyer or cease operations.
January 19, 2025: With no sale finalized, TikTok officially went dark in the U.S. The platform disappeared for approximately 14 hours, leaving its 170 million American users stranded mid-scroll.
January 20, 2025: Following his inauguration, Trump delayed the enforcement of the ban by 75 days via executive order. It gave ByteDance more time to negotiate a deal – but also threw the whole situation into limbo again.
And so we arrive at our current situation. TikTok’s still running (for now), but uncertainty looms over what happens next.
Why was the TikTok ban proposed in the first place?
At its core, the push to ban TikTok has been about national security concerns – at least, that’s what U.S. lawmakers claim. With ByteDance based in China, officials fear the Chinese government could access U.S. user data or manipulate TikTok’s algorithm to influence public opinion. While TikTok has repeatedly denied these claims, concerns over data privacy and foreign influence have kept the debate alive.
One of the biggest concerns raised by lawmakers is TikTok’s data collection practices. Like most social media platforms, TikTok gathers vast amounts of user data. The fear is that, under China’s cybersecurity laws, ByteDance could be forced to hand over that data to the Chinese government if requested. While TikTok has repeatedly denied that it shares data with Chinese authorities, skepticism remains, particularly among U.S. officials wary of China’s growing global influence.
Beyond data security, there’s also the argument that TikTok’s powerful algorithm could be weaponized to manipulate public opinion. Lawmakers have expressed concerns that the Chinese government could theoretically push content to favor certain political narratives or suppress information that doesn’t align with its interests. Though no direct evidence has surfaced, the platform’s role in political and cultural conversations has made it a target for scrutiny.
Some also argue that this isn’t just about security – it’s about business and politics. TikTok’s rapid rise has threatened U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google, leading to speculation that lobbying and industry pressure have played a role in the crackdown.
How the ban could affect TikTok influencers
For American creators, the TikTok ban is far from just a simple inconvenience – it could even be career-ending. Our latest HypeAuditor data shows that there are 8.5 million influencers on TikTok in the U.S., more than on Instagram and YouTube combined. A nationwide ban would mean millions of content creators losing their primary platform overnight, disrupting everything from brand partnerships to income streams.
Many full-time influencers – especially those relying on TikTok’s Creator Fund, live gifts, or brand collaborations – would be forced to pivot quickly. While platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts exist as alternatives, they don’t offer quite the same viral reach or audience engagement that TikTok has mastered. In fact, our data shows that TikTok consistently achieves higher engagement rates than other platforms. TikTok nano-influencers achieve 11.9% ER, compared to Instagram’s 1.73%. Transitioning to a new platform isn’t as simple as just reposting content – each one operates differently, and growing an audience from scratch is no easy feat.
But it’s not just U.S.-based influencers who have reason to be concerned. Creators outside the U.S. with a majority American audience are also in a tough spot. The U.S. has one of TikTok’s largest user bases worldwide. If TikTok disappears from the U.S., these creators could see a major drop in views, engagement, and earnings since a large chunk of their audience will no longer have access to their content. This in turn could significantly impact sponsorship deals, particularly for brands that primarily target U.S. consumers.
Reactions and responses to the ban
The reactions across the U.S. and much of the world have been mixed, but largely negative. There are those who believe that the ban is being proposed in good faith in order to ensure fairness, pointing to China's history of banning and censoring numerous American apps and programs. They contend that requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company would level the playing field, allowing American tech firms to compete more equitably in the global market.
However, the ban has inadvertently driven users toward other Chinese-owned platforms, the prime example here being RedNote. RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in China, is an app that combines short-form videos with lifestyle content, similar to TikTok (not to be confused with Douyin, which is the Chinese version of TikTok). Following the announcement of TikTok's potential ban, RedNote experienced a significant surge in downloads, becoming the most downloaded free app on Apple's U.S. App Store. It even led to Duolingo noting a 216% increase in Mandarin learners on the app. This all, of course, was not the U.S. government’s intention.
This comes at the same time as an overall trend of Chinese inventions and technology making strides across the globe. Just recently, the Chinese-developed DeepSeek AI sent shockwaves through the West, seeing share values for Nvidia plummet by up to 17%. This trend is sure to continue through the year as Western companies grapple with Chinese competition, with TikTok forming just one piece of the puzzle.
What happens next?
This situation is unfolding as we speak, and the next chapter could involve some pretty significant moves. Microsoft, for one, has entered the conversation. The company is reportedly interested in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations, picking up where it left off back in 2020 when a similar bid fell through. Trump is weighing in, hoping to see some serious competition among potential buyers, so it’s looking like there could be a bidding war on the horizon.
But Microsoft isn’t the only player here. There’s also buzz around Perplexity AI, a startup based in San Francisco. The company has come forward with a new proposal to merge with TikTok’s U.S. business. What makes this one interesting is that it would give the U.S. government up to 50% ownership in the merged entity – an attempt, it seems, to smooth over national security concerns by involving the government more directly. It’s definitely a unique take on the issue, and it has garnered some attention.
Of course, other entities have shown interest as well. Media entrepreneur Frank McCourt has put in a formal offer to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations, and even YouTube’s MrBeast, Jimmy Donaldson, has posted about meeting with billionaires to come up with a solution to keep TikTok online in the U.S.
In the end, it’s not just about which company gets to buy it. The U.S. government’s deadline is clear: find a solution in 75 days, or go back to a platform blackout. So, while the deal-making continues, TikTok’s fate is still very much up in the air. One thing’s for sure: we’re in for a very interesting next few months in the world of TikTok.
