
Anna Bialkowski and Caroline Bryant
News Editor & Editor-in-Chief
After 14 hours, U.S. users regained access to TikTok.
Despite a law banning the app, the video-sharing app restored access to users in the country after President Trump vowed to issue an executive order on the day of his inauguration, delaying the ban. In his message published on truthsocial.com on Jan. 19, Trump pledged to bring the app back as long as the U.S. obtains 50% ownership of TikTok.
His message prolongs the seven-year battle with TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, a Chinese technology company who acquired Musical.ly in 2017 to merge with TikTok. The app gained traction in the U.S. a year later, being the most downloaded app in 2018.
Since then, U.S. officials have raised concerns over the app’s threat to national security, resulting in multiple lawsuits and warnings to ban TikTok in 2020 and 2022. All attempts fell through until March 2024 when a bill to ban TikTok or sell to the U.S. was passed by Congress. It was unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court Jan.17.

Though the law stated the ban would go into effect on Jan. 19, users saw the app shut down around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 18. Between the time frame of Jan. 18 and Jan. 19, TikTok users saw the app go from deactivation to resurrection.
Users received four notifications from TikTok throughout these hours. The first had a headline “Important update from TikTok” that explained the ban that would start Jan. 19. However, a hopeful undertone resonated through the second half of the message, urging users to “stay tuned.”
As of Jan. 20, President Trump signed an executive order to keep TikTok alive for the next 75 days. This still upholds the ultimatum of having to find an American buyer, or TikTik might have to go for good.
While users now have access to the app, TikTok does not show up when searched in the Apple or Google app stores.
Although the TikTok ban has been lifted for the next two and a half month, there is still uncertainty regarding the future of this app for American citizens. With TikTok being a financial asset for influencers, business owners and average Americans, the app has also propelled into the entertainment sphere of social media. The world has its eyes on the fate of this contested app.