TikTok is getting banned - here's what you should know | MKTRSU #22
In April 2024, the U.S. government passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (because shorter names are apparently overrated). This law essentially gave TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, an ultimatum: sell TikTok by January 19, 2025, or face a full U.S. ban. The rationale? Concerns over national security and TikTok's ties to China—with U.S. officials arguing that Chinese control of the app is a direct risk.
If it’s warranted is for a whole another debate, but if you’re interested in my professional opinion, you can read it my very first article explaining the idea behind the TikTok band
Fast forward to today, and things are heating up. TikTok's last-ditch efforts to stall the law have been met with rejection in courtrooms, marketers are scrambling for contingency plans, and even Trump has thrown a plot twist into the mix.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the TikTok ban:
1. TikTok officially rejected by the U.S. Appeals Court
TikTok recently begged a U.S. appeals court to delay the law's effective date. The Justice Department came back with a clear "nope," arguing that allowing Chinese control of TikTok to continue "poses a continuing threat to national security."
On December 13, TikTok’s emergency bid to pause the law was officially rejected. If ByteDance doesn’t divest, TikTok will vanish from U.S. app stores (thanks to Apple and Google complying with lawmakers’ orders).
This means ByteDance’s legal team is now sprinting toward the Supreme Court to buy more time. Meanwhile, the clock keeps ticking and January 19, 2025 is closer than ever
2. Lawmakers Tell Apple and Google to Prepare for TikTok's Ban
Congress has already sent warnings to Apple and Google: be ready to pull TikTok from your app stores on January 19. This isn’t a drill—shit is getting very real.
If TikTok isn’t sold, downloading the app (or updates) could become impossible in the U.S., effectively cutting it off for new users and advertisers. Usage, however, could still be covered by VPNs 👀
3. Marketers Adjust Plans for Life Without TikTok
A TikTok ban would shake up the entire short-form video landscape:
TikTok’s loss = Reels and Shorts’ gain.
4. Trump’s Surprising "Warm Spot" for TikTok
In a bizarre twist, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew recently met Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss the impending ban. While Trump once took a hard-line stance against TikTok during his presidency, he now seems open to stopping the ban, saying: “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok.”
Trump’s change of heart could impact the political and legal direction of the ban, but it’s unclear if it’s enough to save the app before January.
What’s Next? This Isn’t Just About TikTok
While TikTok is the poster child for this law, it’s important to note: the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act doesn’t single out TikTok or ByteDance specifically. It applies to any app controlled by a foreign adversary that poses a national security risk.
That means apps like:
…could all find themselves in the crosshairs next. If the U.S. decides any of these apps are similarly risky, they’ll face the same “divest or ban” ultimatum.
The TikTok showdown is far from over—but its outcome might set a precedent for how the U.S. handles foreign-owned apps going forward.
Aaaand that’s about it… for now….
So here’s some more Social Media News you might have missed this past week!
🏷️ Meta Tests ‘No Edit’ Tag for Untouched Images in Stories Users can now specify when their Story images haven’t been enhanced or AI-edited. Authenticity for the win.
🗓️ Instagram Users Can Now Schedule DMs Some Android users can test a feature that lets them schedule DMs. No more forgetting to message back (in theory).
📦 Threads Introduces ‘Starter Packs’ to Help New Users (kinda) Curated account lists on topics like food, fashion, and books make it easier for new users to find people to follow.
🦋 Bluesky Hits 25 Million Users Amid X Exodus Bluesky is booming, adding millions of users monthly as people continue leaving X (formerly Twitter).
📉 X’s User Base Declines, Again Daily active U.S. users have dropped by 8.4% since October, and analysts predict X will lose 7 million users by 2025. So, like…300 million more to go?
📈 Threads Surpasses 300 Million Monthly Users Zuck says Threads now has 100M daily active users and 300M monthly—and it’s catching up to X faster than expected. Allegedly.
💰 LinkedIn Tests Paid Boosting for Personal Updates Users can now pay to amplify personal posts, not just business content—but no boosting for polls or job posts (yet).
That’s it for this week and for the TikTok saga so far. What do you think? Will the US really and truly ban TikTok? Would the EU/UK follow?
Let me know in the comments!
Cheers for now and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Gosh, almost forgot what date we have…
Enjoy and see you (maybe) next week!
Mark.