What’s the Story with TikTok? Everything You Need to Know About the Ban

2025 has started off with some pretty big changes in the social media and digital marketing space. From AI integrating itself into every aspect of our lives to social media scares, we only wonder what the next eleven months will look like.

We’ll dive into the timeline behind the decision to ban TikTok, competing platforms such as RedNote and Instagram, and what the future holds for the OG dance platform.

 

The year started with the ban on TikTok in America. Last year, President Biden gave ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, nine months to hand over the social media platform or divest it. On January 18th, the platform went dark but after less than 24 hours, the platform was back online after Trump signed an executive order to extend the deadline. A lot has happened since then and the fate of TikTok is still unknown. 

TikTok blew up during the pandemic and quickly became the number-one platform over Instagram. The TikTok we know today looks very different from the one we saw a few years ago. It became popular for its funny dance videos and meme-like content that took our minds off what was happening worldwide.

What was it about TikTok that made it so appealing? 

Its ‘byte’ sized content made it easily consumable and sharable and offered a different way of viewing social media than the aesthetically pleasing Instagram. At the time, you could only create videos between 15 to 60 seconds making it easier for people to consume. 

Nowadays, it’s expanded the length of time up to 10 minutes fostering a deeper connection between the creator and user. 

It’s moved away from being just a dancing app. It is now seen as a political tool, an economic source for many creators and small business owners, and opens up conversations on serious issues such as global warming, political parties, and much more. 

Social commerce has also integrated itself into the social media platform, making the customer’s journey much smoother. From video to purchase all within one app. 

Despite its global popularity, TikTok has faced mounting criticism over data security concerns and the potential for foreign influence, leading to legislative efforts to ban the platform in the United States. 

 

We’re going to take a step back and reflect on the old TikTok before we can approach the new. 

 

July 2014: 

An app called Musical.ly was gaining traction in China. It was known for short, lipsyncing music videos, founded by entrepreneur, Alex Zhu. 

 

July 2015: 

Musical.ly hit #1 in the Apple App Store which made the company’s logo visible when users shared their videos, leading to more brand awareness around the app. 

 

2016: 

ByteDance launches Douyin, a video-sharing app for Chinese users. The idea and inspiration behind TikTok was due to how popular Douyin was and they wanted to replicate that.

 

November 2017: 

Musical.ly was gaining popularity and so was Tiktok so ByteDance acquired Musical.ly for $1 billion and merged it with TikTok. The app promoted content like dance moves and various challenges and was binge-able and easy to consume. 

 

February 2019: 

“Old Town Road” by Rapper Lil Nas X releases his single and the song goes viral on TikTok and pushes the song to a record 17 weeks in the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nowadays, many musical artists use the platform to reach fans and build stronger connections with them.

 

From September 2019 to the present day, TikTok has gone through battles of violations surrounding children’s privacy, poor content moderation for teenagers regarding eating disorders and other harmful content, as well as employees of ByteDance accessing non-public information which rang even more alarms for government officials about leaking of data. 

The first investigation into the platform started in November 2019 and 2020, Trump signed an executive order for the Chinese-based platform to hand over the social media platform or divest it. Originally, Trump was hoping to secure a sale with Microsoft or Oracle of the platform but nothing came to fruition. 

In February 2021, Joe Biden was sworn in as president and halted all decisions surrounding the sale of the platform, leaving TikTok to continue growing. 

However, the continued concern around data privacy and violations has kept TikTok in hot water, ultimately leading to the current position the platform is in. 

 

Last year, Joe Biden, former running president declared the platform to be shut down due to concerns around data access laws. In the Spring of 2024, Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, giving ByteDance until January 19th, 2025 to divest TikTok.

Essentially they were given two options. Sell off the social media app within nine months or be banned from U.S. stores and websites.

US officials had started to worry that TikTok could be used by the Chinese government to collect vast amounts of data on American users. Data such as sensitive personal information, location data, and browsing history could be used for surveillance, espionage, or to influence US citizens in the lead-up to elections. 

However, TikTok repeatedly denied these claims, stating that the user data was stored in the US with backups in Singapore and that they would never share data with the Chinese government.

On February 7th, 2025, TikTok released an article on how TikTok protects U.S. Data Security and continues to keep their security data up to date even with transparency reports which we will get into later on. 

ByteDance failed to divest the app and on January 18th, the platform supposedly went dark, messaging users to inform them the app was banned. However, after just 12 hours, service was restored.

On January 20th, 2025, Trump signed a new executive order that gave TikTok an extra 75 days for ByteDance to divest the business.  

The extension ends on April 5, 75 days from when Trump enacted it on January 20th.

 

Is this the first time TikTok has been banned?

Surprisingly, it’s not TikTok’s first rodeo. Across the globe, partial bans are in place in many countries. 

Full bans on TikTok include in Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, and Somalia. 

Regions that have partial bans include Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, and the United Kingdom. These partial bans are placed on government officials. 

With so many countries and regions enforcing full and partial bans, it begs the question “What do they know about the platform that the normal user doesn’t?”. Why aren’t Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms receiving the same backlash? 

That’s not to say Meta hasn’t received backlash. In 2019, Mark Zuckerberg was under fire over claims of Cambridge Analytica’s exploitation of user data originally captured by “thisismydigitallife” app. 

But it does make you wonder what’s the big deal. Well, let’s look at what types of data TikTok collects. 

The biggest concern is national security concerns. Data security has been a concern for everyone but U.S. lawmakers are concerned ByteDance might leak U.S. user data to the Chinese government if forced to. 

On December 30th, 2019, TikTok released its first transparency report outlining government and law enforcement authorities asking them to take specific actions like taking down content deemed to violate local laws or providing information related to accounts under specific circumstances. 

However, data and national security concerns aren’t the only issues with TikTok. 

Issues like the addictive nature of the platform, misinformation, content moderation, selling data, and children’s safety are just a few. 

Federal and public sector employees were prohibited from downloading the app well before the federal ban. TikTok has been continuously under fire as it’s been sued by several states over claims that the companies violate the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. 

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that authorities want to get rid of the platform altogether.

TikTok has grown in numbers since it blew up in 2020, valued at well over $100 billion. More than twice the 44 billion that Elon Musk paid for Twitter in 2022. After Musk bought X, many users removed their profiles or made the move to other platforms such as the famous decentralized platform, BlueSky. You can read more about the new platform here. 

Due to its high price, it limits potential buyers and places the platform into the world’s richest individuals’ hands if ByteDance is willing to sell it. 

After some research, there have been several individuals who have reported interest in putting together a group to purchase TikTok from ByteDance. 

Trump is eager for a sale to come through and has named a few potential buyers.

They include Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary and Jimmy Donaldson known as Mr. Beast. There were reports that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, was interested but recently he’s revealed he has no interest in buying the platform. According to Musk, he doesn’t use the short-form social media platform and isn’t familiar with the format.

TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, has continuously explained it can’t sell the app as the Chinese government won’t allow for the export of the all-in-important algorithm. 

You might have noticed, TikTok’s algorithm is different from other social media platforms. Using its recommendation platform, it feeds the user content based on their interests much like Instagram. But the chance to go “viral” is much higher on TikTok. One day, you can have 400 followers, the next you could have over 200k.

Many TikToker’s such as Charlie DiAmelio, Bella Porch, and the amazing ReesaTeesa, creator of the series ‘Who TF did I Marry’ found fame on the app. Many TikToker’s have gone on to have their reality TV shows or music careers because of the platform. 

It’s no wonder TikTok is popular among many generations. It opens up a whole new world to fame and opportunities. 

However, the viral nature makes it super addictive and can lead to content fatigue or burnout from consuming too much content. 

Many have considered buying the app without its algorithm, but the app wouldn’t be the same. 

It’s famous FOR its algorithm. 

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order aimed at creating a U.S. sovereign wealth fund and suggested the fund could be a potential investor in the deal with TikTok. 

One of his plans for the fate of TikTok is for the fund to buy a 50% stake in the platform, allowing the app to continue legally operating in America.

Think of an investment fund. Financial institutions invest money into various assets like bonds or real estate to increase their value. 

But instead of a financial institution, it would be the sovereign state on behalf of the citizens. The money they invest would be the property of the nation. 

Many options are on the table for TikTok but nothing has been confirmed yet. 

If you don’t have TikTok, the way the app works is through a recommendation engine. It uses behavioral data to determine what you are interested in and feeds you the relevant content. If you continue to watch the same content over and over again, it will continue to feed that until you change your behavior. 

 

The data that TikTok collects is: 

• How long do you stay on a page 
• If you share a video 
• If you swipe away from a video 
• If you comment on a video 
• If you like a video 
• Your login information – name, age, location, phone number, email address
• IP address
• Biometric data 

The more you watch something, the more TikTok will push the content in front of you. This can have a huge impact, especially around elections, protests, climate change, and other global issues. 

It’s not uncommon for free social media platforms to collect user’s information and content recommendations based on your interests. Instagram, a platform that used to serve your follower’s content, now analyzes your behavior and gives you content you interact with. 

Since the ban, many users flocked to Xiaohongsh (Rednote in English). It’s considered China’s answer to Instagram mixed with Pinterest as it displays multiple posts at the same time. You’ll see all types of content from lifestyle, travel, fashion, and even animals so if you’re a dog lover, you know where to go. 

Built on community, authenticity, and inclusivity, the app has become a fan favorite in China and is proving to be a hit amongst Americans too.

The irony of Americans rushing to join Rednote is that the platform is also owned by a Chinese company. One of the biggest factors surrounding the ban on TikTok is the app using American data and giving it to the Chinese government. 

Well, thousands of people have handed it over willingly.. So this is a bit awkward…

Over 700,000 users joined the app over two days, with many searching Google on what is Rednote and downloading the community-driven app. 

Major platforms like Google and Facebook are blocked in China so many users on Rednote are excited to see American users joining the platform. There’s been tension in the air between America and China so RedNote might be the peacekeeper they need at this moment. 

If you are looking for another alternative to TikTok, RedNote might be the next best thing. 

Instagram saw a gap and moved swiftly. With news of the platform shutting down, Instagram brought out its own editing software, called Edits, in February in America. It doesn’t come as a surprise due to CapCut being TikTok and if TikTok goes, so will CapCut for many Americans. Edits will be released on March 13th, 2025 for other countries as they roll out their new features. 

Since TikTok blew up during the pandemic, Instagram has been chasing behind to keep up with the growth of the platform. It wasn’t that long ago that Instagram was predominantly an image-based platform. There used to be two types of Instagram users – those who curate their feed to perfection and others who post for their family and friends. 

Instagram started to go through changes more specifically their algorithm and the increase of AD’s. Content from friends and family weren’t shown anymore and it started to replicate what TikTok was doing – showing you content they thought you might be interested in. 

Unfortunately, people weren’t receptive to the changes and many migrated over to TikTok. Why reinvent the wheel when you already have something good going for you? Competing with TikTok, Instagram has since brought out new features in reels to get ahead. 

Aside from bringing out its editing app, Instagram Reels is sharing content with you that your friends and family liked and commented on.

You’ll also have the option to start a conversation with your friends about the content you both enjoyed. Currently, these offers are only available in the US but are planning to expand in the next few months to other countries. 

The goal is to get people talking because, at the end of the day, social media isn’t social if no one is creating real relationships and speaking to each other.

It’s been nearly a month since Trump signed an executive order to give ByteDance more time to hand over the social media platform or shut it down completely. Since then, the popular app has reappeared back on Google App and Apple Store.

Trump has recently mentioned that he might extend the deadline as he knows many people are interested in the platform which he’s not wrong. The fate of the popular platform lies in their hands but it goes to show how quickly social media can disappear. 

ByteDance has until April 5th, 2025 to make a decision. We will just have to wait and see whether the government and ByteDance can agree on the best way forward. TikTok changed the social media landscape, introducing short-form content through video and ruffling many platforms’ feathers. It’s hard to say if TikTok does remain, will it be the same if a new owner takes over? TikTok’s algorithm and content recommendation engine is its USP (unique selling proposition) and without it, it’s just another social media platform.

Social media brings so much potential for your business but the ban on TikTok highlights the risk you take by sticking to one platform. We advise always having at minimum two social media platforms and an owned piece of ‘land’.

A website, landing page, and email list because no one can take that from you. Social media changes quickly, policies are disrupted, and bans are a real thing. Keep an eye on our blogs every month to stay up-to-date with new trends, emerging marketing news, and much more. 

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