TikTok Goes Dark For Millions As The Ban Goes Into Effect
BATH, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 25: In this photo illustration the TikTok social media platform's ... [+] logo is reflected in the eye of a 13-year-old boy as he looks at a computer screen on November 25, 2023 in Bath, England. Following the lead of the EU Commission and several US administrations, TikTok is set to be banned from UK government phones amid security concerns around the Chinese-owned video app. Recently TikTok announced that every account belonging to a user below age 18 have a 60-minute daily screen time limit automatically set. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesFor anyone who has been following the TikTok ban, you likely already knew this was coming.
Starting today, when you open the TikTok app, you are greeted by a rather direct notice that the app is no longer available with a note about President-elect Trump possibly helping to restore it.
The notice only lets you close the app and nothing more. There’s no workaround since today was the day the ban takes effect.
After months of speculation, deliberation, and pontificating by users and lawmakers, the ban was upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday. No surprise then that the app stores have now removed TikTok and you can’t update or even use the app anymore.
The TikTok ban is real
John BrandonIn an unprecedented move, Apple issued a notice about not just the TikTok app but referenced several other ByteDance apps as well such as Lemon8 and CapCut.
Some users have suggested using a VPN, but thats risky at best. For starters, that approach might not even work and it’s not in keeping with the purpose of the TikTok ban, which was to limit or restrict usage due to how the federal government (and the Supreme Court) called into question whether ByteDance is manipulating users.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson mentioned the TikTok ban on Meet the Press today, suggesting that a deal to restore the app could be reached eventually but that the incoming administration does plan to enforce the law.
He described the threat by suggesting the app has influenced Americans by “flooding the minds of American children with terrible messages” including violence and even suicide. (Johnson should have said the minds of American adults as well; he also said there are 270 million users but the actual number is 170 million.)
What makes more sense for TikTok users is to wait out the ban.
By tomorrow, we might see a reversal of fortune as Trump takes office and could potentially delay the TikTok ban and work out a sale or some other compromise with Congress to restore the app. “He likes to make deals,” said Johnson.
