What Happens to TikTok App On My Phone After Ban

TikTok is a social media app that is popular with younger people. The app was launched in September 2016 by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company.

It allows users to locate, share, and generate short videos expressing themselves through dancing, lip-syncing, comedy, and singing.

In April 2024, the President of the United States, President Biden, signed an act enacted by Congress, dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), into law.

The Act grants the government the authority to ban foreign-owned apps it considers a threat to national security. This Act was scheduled to be effective on January 19, 2025.

TikTok could face a ban if the law takes effect as scheduled since supporters of the ban cite “national security” risk and data privacy as reasons for a shutdown.

An associate justice of the United States Supreme Court went as far as saying that TikTok under Chinese ownership could be used to gather information on American teenagers.

He said that this information could be used to blackmail them or turn them into spies in the future who could go work for the national security agencies or the military.

What Happens To Users if TikTok Gets Banned

If the ban takes effect as scheduled, the people in the U.S. who have yet to download the TikTok app will no longer have access to it.

The app will no longer be available on downloading app platforms such as Google Play Store and Apple’s store.

Existing users, on the other hand, might continue to use the app, but they would be unable to update it because it would be pulled from app stores, and their ability to add content remains unclear.

A professor of cybersecurity at Brown University, Timothy Edgar, said to CBS MoneyWatch that “They (the users) will get a notice that says, ‘this service is not available in your country.’”

He also said, “This generation may be in for a very rude awakening if the law goes into effect and they find a major social media platform that they came to rely on as creators or just users is suddenly not available.”

Are there any workarounds for accessing TikTok?

Yes, there are some bypasses to gain access to TikTok, but some technical expertise is required, and it is unclear what will and will not work.

The most common method that’s being talked about is the use of a virtual private network (VPN).

A virtual private network encrypts traffic data and sends it through a secure channel to a remote server.

This hides your IP address and protects your data, giving you the ability to access content or sites that may be restricted in your region.

TikTokers who wouldn’t want to go through the hassle would most likely switch to platforms with TikTok-like feeds like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.