The popular video-sharing platform TikTok has officially gone offline in the United States following the enforcement of a nationwide ban. The shutdown occurred late Saturday, just hours before the legal deadline, leaving millions of American users unable to access the app.
A message displayed to users attempting to log in read: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. 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!”
The US Supreme Court upheld the ban on Friday, citing national security concerns, and ruled that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, must sell its US operations to a non-Chinese buyer by Sunday or face removal from American app stores.
Former President and President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to be inaugurated on Monday, has expressed his willingness to intervene. Speaking to NBC News, he suggested that his administration could issue a 90-day extension to allow negotiations for a potential deal.
“The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it’s appropriate,” Trump stated. “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
Despite pressure, ByteDance has refused to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations, leaving the app’s future uncertain. The Biden administration has decided to leave the matter to Trump, while White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed TikTok’s latest appeal as a “stunt.”
Several American companies have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. assets. Perplexity AI, a rising artificial intelligence firm backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has reportedly proposed a merger with TikTok’s U.S. subsidiary, valuing the deal at approximately $50 billion.
Meanwhile, former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has also put forward an offer, with Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary stating that ByteDance was offered $20 billion for TikTok’s U.S. operations. However, legal experts warn that even if Trump issues an executive order to suspend the ban, Congress may override it.
With TikTok offline, competitors like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are expected to benefit from the disruption. In response, thousands of American users have begun migrating to Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform similar to Instagram, which recently became the most downloaded app on the U.S. Apple Store.
As Trump prepares to take office, the fate of TikTok in the U.S. remains in limbo, with both legal and political battles ahead.
