App’s Uncertain Future
On January 18, TikTok shut down in the U.S. The video-sharing platform’s 170 million American users were met with an error message. In part, it read, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.” The app came back online just a few hours later.
TikTok shut down because of a federal law passed in 2024. Lawmakers worried that TikTok was collecting user data, and could be used as a tool against the U.S. The law required ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based owner, to sell its U.S. operation by January 19. ByteDance did not sell, so the law took effect.
On January 20, President Donald Trump gave ByteDance more time. He signed an order delaying the ban for 75 days. For now, people in the U.S. can still use the app. But its future is unknown.
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