A message displayed to US users read: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted, meaning you can’t use TikTok for now.”
The shutdown follows a Supreme Court decision upholding a law passed in April 2024, which required TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the platform to a U.S.-approved buyer or withdraw from the American market entirely.
The ban has sparked outrage among TikTok’s 170 million American users, who argue that the platform fosters free expression.
Donald Trump could come to the app’s rescue, with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew expected to be at his inauguration.
While people across the country seek another way to fill their time, they appear to have landed on another Chinese app called RedNote.
The app, which lacks the usual firewall separating China from much of the global internet, has become a hub for self-proclaimed “TikTok refugees” seeking a new online home
RedNote has seen a massive surge in downloads, with 700,000 new US users joining in just two days, making it the most downloaded free app in the US App Store.
All things considered, it looks like TikTok’s ban has accidentally led to improved relations between US and Chinese citizens