TikTok could go dark: What does this mean for users and content creators?

18 January 2025, 02:14 | Updated: 18 January 2025, 02:47

TikTok has said it could go dark on Sunday after the Supreme Court ruled against its bid to avoid a ban that could shut the app down.

The looming ban is the end result of 2024 legislation passed on national security concerns that called for TikTok parent ByteDance to sell the popular short-video app or see it shut in the US on 19 January.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday, has said he would try to find a "political resolution".

The president-elect has spoken to Chinese leader Xi Jinping about the issue.

Analysis:
America flinches as TikTok prepares to 'go dark' - will Trump save the day?

Below are the answers to some key questions:

What happens to the app?

New users will not be able to download TikTok from Apple and Google app stores and existing users will not be able to update the app meaning it will soon become impossible to use.

Some of the so-called "TikTok refugees" are turning to a Chinese app called Xiaohongshu - aka RedNote.

It is a lifestyle social media app which allows users to post short videos, photos and texts, and it also includes functions like live-streaming and shopping.

Read more:
What is RedNote?

How will users be affected?

TikTok's estimated 170 million users in the US will still be able to use the app because it is already downloaded on their phones.

But over time, without software and security updates, the app will become redundant.

At best, a web-based version of the service might be accessible that has fewer features than the app, and even that might not work, experts have said.

Some users could try to access TikTok through virtual private networks, or VPNs, which can conceal the internet protocol, or IP, address of a user and thereby their location.

Content creators who have built businesses from their TikTok followings are preparing for the app's potential shutdown and redirecting their followers to alternatives such as Instagram and YouTube.

What do the content creators say?

Tiffany Cianci told the Associated Press the proposed ban shows "our elected officials failed the American people in failing to learn what TikTok actually meant to the American population".

"In reality, it's an ecosystem that has created a huge portion of the American economy.

"It's created a place where seven million small businesses thrive in ways that they're not able to thrive in any other economic social media system in the United States."

Influencer and creator Janette Ok said the platform helped her make brand deals and promote her music - bringing "opportunities that I never believed I could experience in my lifetime".

"It's a beautiful app, it's brought so many people together, it's changed a lot of people's lives, and for it to just be taken away like that feels... so not American," she said.

What will advertisers do?

Advertisers have rushed to prepare contingency plans as the ban will jeopardise their campaigns on the platforms.

TikTok has continued to pitch advertisers on new features, like a tool launching in test form that would make it easier to create, modify and add advertisements in bulk.

If a ban does occur, more than $11bn in annual US ad investment would be up for grabs.

What happens to US-China relations?

A ban could worsen trade tensions between the US and China that were already strained after export curbs on advanced American semiconductor technology to Beijing.

Mr Trump could try to use an executive action to protect TikTok for his four years in office, but he could use the risk of him changing his position to extract something meaningful from China, according to analysts at LightShed Partners.

What impact could a ban have on UK users?

There is no suggestion that a US ban would directly affect users in the UK, where technology is regulated by British legislation. However, UK TikTokers, who create content on social media for a living, have expressed fears over how the proposed ban might impact their viewership and incomes.

Aidan Halling, also known by his handle @etherealgames on TikTok, creates comedy skits on gaming for his 30,000 followers, and is concerned his income may take a hit as the ban could force him to ditch the app.

"A lot of creators rely on this app for a living, and it's about to be pulled away from under them," he told PA news.

"This ban could potentially force me to pivot to different content or stop posting all together. While 15% of my followers are American, around 40% of initial video views are from the US."

(c) Sky News 2025: TikTok could go dark: What does this mean for users and content creators?