The Supreme Court heard arguments last week about a law that would effectively ban TikTok in the U.S., leading users, content creators and more to fret over the future of the app.
The nine justices appeared to lean toward upholding the law after hearing oral arguments from lawyers for TikTok and the Biden administration on Jan. 10, which could lead to the banning of the app starting on Jan. 19.
Dr. Gabriela Zanfir-Fortuna, vice president for global privacy at the Future of Privacy Forum, tells TODAY.com that it’s important to note that TikTok is not getting banned — the court is deciding whether or not to enact a law that would effectively ban the app if it is not sold.
“This is a requirement that TikTok will not be controlled by China or by another adversary, or a country that the U.S. considers as an adversary,” Zanfir-Fortuna says. “So the app itself, it’s not the issue here, and users will be able to continue using it as long as there will be an American company or an American entity that buys the app.”
TikTok did not respond to a request for comment from TODAY.com on Jan. 14.
The fate of TikTok in the U.S. is in the hands of the Supreme Court — for now — and the court could issue its ruling anytime before Jan. 19. Here’s what to know about the app’s future in the U.S.
Has TikTok been banned?
No. The Supreme Court has not yet issued a ruling on the case.
The law in question, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, was passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2024. The law, if enacted, requires ByteDance, the China-based owner of TikTok, to divest itself from the company due to national security concerns.
U.S. officials have warned that China could potentially steal user data from the app or manipulate content shown to Americans. TikTok has denied that it shares data with the Chinese government.
If the law is enacted and the app is not sold, TikTok will effectively “go dark,” Noel Francisco, an attorney for the company, said during oral arguments.
If TikTok is banned, can I still use it?
If the law is enacted, users will still be able to use TikTok as long as they already had the app downloaded, Zanfir-Fortuna says.
“My understanding is that the current users will be able to continue using it, but it’s just they won’t be able to download updates or anything like that,” she says.
Can I download TikTok from app stores?
No. If the law is enacted, the app will be pulled from app stores and become unavailable for download.
“The app won’t be available on the App Store for new downloads, you know, for new users,” Zanfir-Fortuna says. “And then, of course, if you don’t have updates to your apps in the long term, this might not make it possible to have it (be) functional.”
It is unclear how long it would take for the app to become too buggy or broken to use.
Will the app still be on my phone or on the internet?
If users already had the app downloaded on their phone, the app will remain on their phone. While TikTok was intended to be used as an app, the website should also continue to work to be able to watch videos from a mobile browser or a computer.
It is unclear if internet providers and mobile carriers in the U.S. would block access to the website if the law is implemented, but users could utilize a VPN, or software to make it appear as though they’re online from another location.
When is the last day to watch TikToks?
While the law may go into effect on Jan. 19, there is no “official” last day to use the app. As Zanfir-Fortuna says, TikTok will no longer be able to release updates and fixes to the app after Jan. 19 if the law is enacted, meaning it will likely become unusable over time.
What has President-elect Trump said about TikTok?
The future of the app does largely fall into the hands of the incoming Trump administration, Zanfir-Fortuna says.
“It will be on the Trump administration to enforce this law,” she says. “So it is really up to the administration to accept a reason for a new owner structure, or accept some reason that a new owner structure is compliant with the law. So with this requirement that TikTok is sold to an American entity, clearly, it will depend on the Trump administration.”
While Trump vowed to ban TikTok in 2020, he has since reversed his position.
In December 2024, attorneys for Trump filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to pause the implementation of the law that would effectively ban TikTok if it is not sold.
“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government — concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” D. John Sauer, an attorney for Trump who is also the president-elect’s pick for U.S. solicitor general, wrote in the brief filed on Dec. 27.
The president-elect met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in December, hours after he said he had a “warm spot” in his heart for the app during a Dec. 16 press conference.
“I won youth by 34 points. And there are those that say that TikTok has something to do with that,” Trump said.
Is Elon Musk buying TikTok?
Elon Musk, owner of X and a close advisor to Trump, has been floated as a possible buyer for TikTok, according to reports.
Chinese officials are weighing an option to allow Musk to take control of the app, Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.
