“What’s the status of TikTok?” A common question in the United States following the banned / not-banned back and forth over the past week. More importantly for advertisers, the question of how to approach ongoing social media strategy in light of the back and forth is prescient. Let’s explore the current status of the TikTok ban and how best to approach the strategic questions.
Why is TikTok being banned in the United States?
Concerns in the U.S. government about the size and scope of Americans’ behavioral data potentially accessible by the Chinese government through their control of ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, resulted in the passage of a law in April 2024 to ban TikTok in the United States unless sold to a U.S.-controlled entity. National security concerns were highlighted both due to the data available as well as due to the potential for influencing discourse via manipulation of the app’s algorithm for displaying content. TikTok raised a legal challenge alleging that the ban violated American’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech, but the law was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 17, 2025.
When was the ban set to go into effect?
The law stipulated that unless a qualified divestiture occurred, enforcement of the ban would go into effect 270 days following the law’s passage. This date was January 19, 2025.
What’s the current status?
This past weekend saw a flurry of activity following the Supreme Court decision to uphold the law. First, Democratic members of Congress introduced a bill that would extend the deadline by an additional 270 days. The bill, to date, has not advanced. With the deadline approaching, on Saturday the app went “dark” for about 12 hours, blocking users from accessing TikTok in the United States.
On Sunday, TikTok returned following assurances from President-elect Trump that he would delay enforcement of the law and the Justice Department would not pursue organizations for being in violation. Once sworn into office, President Trump upheld his promise by signing an Executive Order to delay enforcement of the law (in effect delaying the ban) for 75 days.
As of now, TikTok is available for access by users in the United States who have the application downloaded but is not available for download on the Apple nor Android App Stores.
So… is TikTok banned or not?
Technically the law “banning” TikTok is in effect. The law places enforcement penalties on App Store providers for making the application available as well as on cloud hosting providers for providing services necessary for application availability. However, enforcement of the law is the responsibility of the U.S. Justice Department. President Trump’s Executive Order prohibits the Justice Department from enforcing those penalties for an additional 75-day period. There are significant legal questions being raised about the validity of such an order, which will likely play out in the courts over the next several months. Ultimately, it is up to the App Stores and service providers to determine if they believe they could be liable for potential violations in the meantime. As of now, since TikTok is still available, it appears those providers will take their chances and maintain services for the app to be accessible.
What does this mean for advertisers?
For the immediate future, advertisers are still able to run campaigns on TikTok as the application is still available for use in the United States. However, with the app not listed on both the Apple and Android App Stores, no new downloads or updates are possible. In the absence of updates, the user experience is certain to slowly degrade over time and a likely slow trickle of users to other platforms is likely.
Advertisers should use the uncertainty of TikTok’s future as an opportunity for a strategic reset. Think beyond the question of just “is TikTok available and compliant” and focus instead on how and why TikTok is a valuable channel. Consider such questions as:
- What is the user base of TikTok? How does this align with my target audience? Can I reach those same unique users via other channels?
- What type of content do users really want to see when on the platform? Is your target audience really in the right headspace to engage with your ads when on TikTok? This can especially be true for organizations in more sensitive categories such as healthcare.
- Do other platforms offer similar targeting opportunities? Are there opportunities to test certain high-performing audience segments via other channels?
- Are creators currently on TikTok with content that aligns to your messaging likely to move to other platforms? Which? Are there creators on other platforms with similar content that resonates with your target audience?
Ultimately, social media users are unlikely to “go dark” regardless of the application via which they are accessing content. As seen in the last week, similar applications have witnessed a flood of new users in the run-up to the ban, while other social media platforms are rapidly introducing TikTok-like functionality to onboard TikTok refugees into their ecosystems.
The potential for a TikTok ban does pose additional challenges due to fragmentation of the audience and complications for reach. For advertisers that focus on the strategic fundamentals, however, the current chaos can prove to be an opportunity for competitive advantage in the emerging digital media landscape.