TikTok will appear before the Supreme Court on Friday in a final attempt to prevent a national ban of the app.
The social media site, which is used by 170 million Americans, is fighting the ban after U.S. courts ruled it had to be split from its Chinese owner by January 19.
Why It Matters
TikTok is one of the most widely used social media sites in the U.S., but its association with Chinese owner ByteDance has led to concerns it could be used for spying and political disruption.
When is TikTok getting banned in 2025? Will it go through?
TikTok is under orders to split from ByteDance by January 19, otherwise it will face a U.S. ban enforced by the Supreme Court.
Their appeal today is the last chance to get the order overturned. If the Supreme Court agrees with TikTok's free speech argument, they are expected to make a ruling overturning the potential ban before it comes into effect.
Which states is TikTok getting banned in?
As a federal issue, the ban would be enforced in every state, with TikTok being made unavailable for all Americans.
Currently no state has enacted a ban on TikTok for its residents. In 2023 Montana lawmakers passed legislation banning the site in the state, but the law was struck down by a U.S. district judge.
Why is TikTok getting banned?
TikTok is being banned over concerns that its connection to Chinese ownership could allow its use by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to undermine U.S. national security.
Calls for the ban increased in 2024, during widespread college campus protests against support for Israel amid its war in Gaza that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
TikTok has raised First Amendment arguments about why the app shouldn't be banned, bringing the case to the Supreme Court in hopes of preventing the ban from taking effect.
What is Donald Trump's stance?
On January 3, President-elect Donald Trump posted a graphic of his engagement on TikTok, revealing he received 36 billion views in 2024. He added the caption: "Why would I want to get rid of TikTok?"
In December, shortly after his election win, Trump said at a press conference: "I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth [in the 2024 election] by 34 points. And there are those who say TikTok has something to do with it."
Which other countries have banned the app?
The following countries have put some form of ban on TikTok currently in place:
- Afghanistan
- Senegal
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Iran
- Kyrgyzstan
- Uzbekistan
- Albania
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