It happened — TikTok went down for American users and is officially banned in the United States thanks to a law that the government passed last year. Roughly two hours before the Sunday, January 19, 2025, ban was set to take effect, TikTok users located in the United States noticed they could not load friends’ videos or post new clips on Saturday, January 18. As Americans frantically try to figure out how to use the app amid the ban, many also want to know if TikTok is coming back.
Donald Trump indicated that he was inclined to institute a 90-day extension to the ban when he is sworn in as president again. However, he is yet to confirm whether or not the extension is definite.
Is TikTok Banned?
Apparently, yes. TikTok is officially banned in the U.S., as American users noticed at around 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 18, 2025. When logging into an account, TikTok users saw the following notice pop up: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. 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! In the meantime, you can still log in to download your data.”
Do I Have to Delete My TikTok?
Currently, American users are not required to delete their TikTok accounts, and the platform gave everyone the ability to download and save their posted videos.
Is TikTok Coming Back?
It’s unclear if TikTok could come back for Americans, but as the platform indicated in its shutdown statement, an apparent “solution” between them and Trump could take place “once he takes office,” which would be on Monday, January 20, 2025.
How to Use TikTok After the Ban
As of now, anyone located in the U.S. can access their own posts but are unable to load new posts. Users are also complaining that they cannot load saved or reposted videos. Currently, Americans can simply access their profile pages and recent posts made by friends and accounts they follow.
It’s still unclear how people in the U.S. can navigate TikTok unless they have a virtual private network (VPN). Having a VPN could potentially give a smartphone user the ability to hide their IP address, which discloses a person’s location. However, a VPN most likely cannot fix the TikTok issue forever.
Why Was TikTok Banned in the U.S.?
TikTok was banned in the U.S. because the government raised concerns about its security. Lawmakers in America are worried that China’s government could access users’ data through the social media app and use it to spread misinformation around the world.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, and Congress gave them an ultimatum: either sell the app to a U.S. government-approved company or the app would be banned in America. In April 2024, President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law, and the Supreme Court upheld the legalization weeks before the ban happened in January 2025.
