The Supreme Court upholds the U.S. bill that would essentially ban TikTok.

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Court demonstrated that it was “likely” to rule in favor of banning the application owned by ByteDance. A ban would result in the app no longer being available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and over time U.S. users who have already downloaded the app would no longer be able to make system updates. TikTok has said the app would be wiped from phones if the ban is enforced.

The Supreme Court’s stance supports a bipartisan bill that had been signed in April 2024 by President Joe Biden requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S.-based company or face a ban of the app, according to NPR. There were national security concerns by the president and Congress surrounding China’s data access and the spreading of misinformation.

TikTok is not in favor of the ban that would go into effect Sunday, Jan. 19, as its owners believe a ban restricts free speech.

“The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” TikTok previously said in a statement to ABC News. “The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the U.S. and around the world on Jan. 19, 2025.”

The case made its way to the conservative-majority Supreme Court on Jan. 10. for a two-hour hearing, which swung in the favor of a ban.

There have been no indications that ByteDance is looking to sell TikTok, per Variety. Nonetheless, U.S. investors have expressed interest in purchasing the app. This includes Frank McCourt and “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary, who have submitted an official proposal through McCourt’s nonprofit organization Project Liberty. MrBeast, who was born Jimmy Donaldson and is a popular YouTuber with at least 344 million subscribers, says he has an offer ready too and is already in talks with several billionaires to contribute.

“America deserves TikTok,” MrBeast expressed in a TikTok video, which has already been seen by 65 million users and has garnered 6.7 million likes (at the time of this writing).

@mrbeast

TikTok check your inbox 👀 @TikTok

♬ original sound – MrBeast

 

What Happens Next?

As the Jan. 19 deadline approaches, what will happen to TikTok? Currently, President Biden’s administration has said he does not plan to enforce the ban ahead of his departure, leaving it to Trump’s administration, notes NBC News.

“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday,”  White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement, per the outlet.

On Friday. Jan. 17, the Supreme Court officially ruled that it will uphold the TikTok ban if the app is not sold to a U.S.-based company.

“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the court wrote in an unsigned opinion, according to NPR. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.”

As previously mentioned, if TikTok maintains its decision to not comply, U.S. users may no longer be able to download the application or make future system updates starting Sunday — or will have the app removed from their phones all together by TikTok.

“On January 19th, as I understand it, we shut down,” TikTok lawyer Noel Francisco explained in a January 2025 hearing, per NPR.

There may still be a light at the end of the tunnel for the many users who have relied on TikTok for entertainment or as a source of income. President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly made it clear he intends to save TikTok when he assumes office on Jan. 20. He plans to sign an executive order that would halt the sale of TikTok for 60 to 90 days, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
However Alan Rozenshtein, a former national security adviser to the Justice Department, states the order would not take precedence over Biden’s signing and the law passed by Congress.
“[Executive orders] are not magical documents. They’re just press releases with nicer stationery,” Rozenshtein said, according to the Washington Post. “TikTok will still be banned, and it will still be illegal for Apple and Google to do business with them. But it will make the president’s intention not to enforce the law that much more official.”
Regardless of the fate of TikTok, users are encourage to find community elsewhere. Already some have flocked to other platforms, which have seen greater traction on app stores such as Rednote, Lemon8, Neptune, and Fanbase, which is owned by Isaac Hayes III.
“Instead of being customers to our creations, we are turning our innovations into acquisitions, and therefore, that is my pitch to tell people that, ‘Look. Facebook and Instagram are not going to be, and TikTok is not going to be the king of the hill. There’s no business that has existed that has lasted and dominated in perpetuity. Everything goes down,’” Hayes said in an interview on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast.