US TikTok Users Fate Will Be Known By Sunday

TikTok creators and users have to deal with the fact that the popular short-video app will likely be prohibited in the United States.

A rule that would practically shut down TikTok countrywide may take effect Sunday if its China-based parent company, ByteDance, refrains from selling off the app and if the Supreme Court does not prohibit the law.

TikTok, which has a staggering 170 million million monthly users in the United States, endured competition from other apps looking to imitate its short-form video features to become the household name it is today.

It emerged as an innovator in brief entertainment and as a medium for creators to create businesses or advertise for brands.

Creators Revenue

The TikTok ban might result in a decrease in revenue for creators, whose collaborations, revenue and following remain uncertain if they migrate to other platforms.

TikTok creator Britton Copeland uploaded a video that suggested the concept of renouncing all social media in protest of the ban.

She stated that TikTok helped her get a literary agent for a book she plans to launch. Copeland also noted that creators “can’t just not work.”

“It sucks because I feel like I’m this close — this close to having my dream,” she said.

A creator known as Mrs. Space Cadets, who has almost one million followers, said TikTok “started the career that I have now.”

In the comment section, she said she is on Instagram and has begun posting on YouTube.

“I know it’s not the same, but it’s something,” she said.

Duke Depp, who garnered nearly 20 million following by acting as Willy Wonka, took a journey down nostalgia road by reposting iconic memories.

He encouraged users to subscribe to his YouTube and Snapchat accounts.

“All week I’m using my account to remember PEAK Tiktok, before the platform is gone for good,” he commented.

“It’s like summer camp is over and we will never see our camp friends again,” a user said in another post.

Users Search For Alternatives

There are limited alternatives for sharing short videos beyond Instagram’s Reels and YouTube’s Shorts.

Lemon8, a photo- and video-sharing app also owned by ByteDance, acquired prominence during earlier attempts to ban TikTok, but it could be banned under the US law, too.

About 180,000 of players are signed up for Neptune, an app anticipated to be introduced later in 2025.

The app’s website claims it will have a configurable algorithm, revenue and no follower counts.

“If we want another TikTok, it’s gonna have to happen naturally,” one user posted.

They said this ban is akin to when Vine shut down and users migrated to YouTube and Musical.ly, which integrated with TikTok in 2018.

One user stated: “I have videos that go all the way back to 2016… why are they deleting my memories.”

Video-sharing rival Triller has tried to capitalize on those concerns by developing Save My TikToks, which will upload TikTok videos to the Triller app.

TikTok is projected to be removed from US app stores by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and Apple following a prohibition, so the app won’t have updates or be available for download.

Can Tiktok Be Saved?

ByteDance has repeatedly stated TikTok isn’t for sale.

In March, Steve Mnuchin, who served as Treasury secretary during Donald Trump’s first term, said he had assembled a group of partners to purchase TikTok.

“Shark Tank” co-host Kevin O’Leary told Yahoo! Finance last week that he is part of a group that’s ready to pay up to $20 billion for TikTok.