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Journalism of Courage
TikTok stopped its operations in the US late Saturday, just before a federal ban on the Chinese-owned short-video app was set to be enforced. The app was removed from both Apple’s iOS App Store and Google’s Play Store. In April, the US Congress passed legislation requiring TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app to a non-Chinese owner or face a complete shutdown. ByteDance opted for the shutdown.
An eMarketer analysis report reveals that, among the 170 million TikTok users in the US, the average adult spends 53.8 minutes per day on the platform, which sees over 34 million new videos uploaded daily. As the app went offline, social media users flocked to X (formerly Twitter), flooding the platform with hilarious memes. Check out the best memes here.
According to NBC News, US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly contemplating a 90-day delay in the ban upon taking office. This reprieve could provide short-term relief for both TikTok’s 170 million users and the platform itself.
TikTok stated that divesting “is simply not feasible—commercially, technologically, or legally.” The company maintained this position until the very end. For existing users, the app has gone dark, displaying the message, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S., which means you cannot use TikTok at the moment. However, we are fortunate that President Trump has expressed his intention to collaborate with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he assumes office. Please stay tuned,” as reported by The Guardian.
