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TikTok ban upheld: What does this mean for the app?

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Published  January 17, 2025 10:48am EST
TikTok
FOX 5 DC

The Brief

    • The Supreme Court upheld a federal law and ruled in favor of arguments about TikTok's potential national security threat.
    • It's not clear if the government will enforce the ban, but TikTok has said it plans to shut down the platform in the U.S. by the deadline.
    • TikTok will be banned in the U.S. starting on Jan. 19, unless the popular social media platform cuts ties with its China-based parent company.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Supreme Court upholds a law banning TikTok if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

Supreme Court upholds law banning TikTok

The Supreme Court upholds a law banning TikTok if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance.

What does the TikTok ban mean?

What we know:

TikTok will be banned in the U.S. starting on Jan. 19, 2025, unless the popular social media platform cuts ties with its China-based parent company, ByteDance, according to a new Supreme Court ruling.

FOX 5's Katie Barlow stated that an anonymous official in the Biden administration stated they won't enforce the law. That raises concerns for third-party providers, who are the ones that would be penalized because of the law.

Barlow explained that the app could continue to exist, but there could be alot of money on the line. 

MORE RELATED NEWS: TikTok ban upheld by Supreme Court: What to know

"The Department of Justice will enforce the provisions and laws that penalize third party groups," Barlow said. 

Technically, TikTok could continue to exist, but all the companies that provide these services to TikTok would have to be willing to risk millions of dollars in penalties for violating the law. 

TikTok ban update

Many continue to ask, is TikTok getting banned? The Supreme Court will hear arguments over a federal law that could potentially ban the wildly popular app, TikTok.

What's next?

What they're saying:

With the possible end of TikTok, other apps have gained some new popularity. 

Lemon8, also owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, is a emerging lifestyle app that allows users to post pictures and short-form videos. 

Some TikTok users have quickly found interest in the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu in protest of the looming ban. This app appears to be the most similar to TikTok. Xiaohongshu, which in English means "Little Red Book," combines e-commerce and short-form videos.

The Source: FOX 5 DC reporting and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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