TikTok goes before the Supreme Court — live report

In a swift move, the United States Supreme Court will set TikTok to argue that the social sharing app shouldn't be banned in the country.

The case will see national security go head-to-head with free speech, which could have a long-lasting impact beyond whether or not we can share videos on a social media app (there are plenty of TikTok alternatives if the app is banned).

If the ban is upheld, TikTok will be banned later this month due to a law put in place by the Biden administration. The government says China can gather data on Americans or manipulate the content on TikTok to shape U.S. users' opinions, the government claims.

For the backstory, check out our timeline of everything that's happened so far.

If you're curious about TikTok's arguments, we're here to cover it all as it happens so you can decide whether it's time to change social video apps or you can stick with TikTok. If you want to listen for yourself, the Supreme Court has a public link to the audio feed.

2025-01-10T14:58:55.744Z

Arguments start

Listen to TikTok's arguments on the Supreme Court's website.

2025-01-10T14:57:45.810Z

Which other app will you switch to?

If TikTok is banned and you're an avid user (whether as a creator or viewer), do you have a plan for where you'll migrate for your short vertical videos?

Most people would consider YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels the primary replacements, but a new app could rise from the ashes of TikTok and take over.

On Tom's Guide, we use TikTok for much of our video content, but we also share on YouTube Shorts.

Whatever happens, it'll be interesting to see which apps rise and take over (or if TokTok survives the U.S. government's attempts to ban it).

2025-01-10T14:43:25.450Z

TikTok speaks at 10 a.m ET

The proceedings are set to get underway at 10 a.m. ET. You can listen at the Supreme Court's website, or simply follow along with Tom's Guide as we bring you all the important bits as they happen.

2025-01-10T14:28:11.033Z

Will TikTok survive?

This could be a landmark day for social media and the internet as we know it. The Supreme Court issued a writ of certiorari on December 18, 2024, to hear the case. From there, it scheduled oral arguments for January 10, 2025, which we're covering today.

Creators are calling for President-elect Donald Trump to save TikTok, while others hope the app's ban is upheld because it may threaten national security.

Regardless of which way the Supreme Court decides after hearing arguments in the TikTok v. Garland landmark case.