Throughout January, users have been apprehensive, waiting as rumors began to spread about a potential ban of the popular social media platform TikTok.

The Reason

 The ban had been discussed for months, but users did not see immediate action until Jan. 17, 2025 when the Supreme Court held a unanimous vote to ban the app. The platform was deemed “unconstitutional” and a threat to the online safety of Americans because it was owned by the Chinese company Byte Dance. The U.S. government had major concerns over potential user data collection and the links to the Chinese government. Even though the app’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has assured U.S. leaders that the app is safe and doesn’t steal American data, the Supreme Court still decided to continue with the nationwide ban. This would make the app unavailable to over 170 million users.

Going Dark 

Due to the result of the court hearing, TikTok had no other choice but to respect the ban and “go dark” to all American users. Starting at around   10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, when users tried to enter the app they would get a message stating that it is unavailable in the U.S. However, the message also stated that “President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.” This left users confused as to whether the ban was permanent or not, as well as what Donald Trump had to do with the ban and if he was going to fix it. 

A New Era.

After that night of sudden darkness, there were still a lot of questions as to what was going to happen to the app and if it would be restored. However, these questions were answered when users clicked on the app on Sunday, Jan. 19 to receive a hopeful message that TikTok has been restored.

This message relieved many of the creators and users that rely on the app daily. However, the short-lived ban and the political message left many confused as to if this ban was to protect American data, or simply another piece of political propaganda. Because of the ban being so close to the Inauguration of Trump, many wonder what happened behind the scenes and how Trump’s opinion on the app changed from fully against it in 2020 to then “unbanning” it in 2025. 

No matter what happened that weekend, it’s safe to say that most users and influencers are more than thrilled to have access to the app that has made a community for so many