Is This the End of TikTok in the U.S.? Supreme Court Says ByteDance Must Divest

TikTok’s days in the U.S. might be numbered after the Supreme Court ruled against the app’s challenge to a divest-or-ban law. TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, now faces a strict January 19 deadline to sell its U.S. operations or risk a complete shutdown.

This decision, which many legal experts anticipated, upholds The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The law was passed in April 2023 to address national security concerns surrounding apps with foreign ownership, and TikTok has remained the primary target.

On Friday, the justices decided that the law does not violate the First Amendment rights of TikTok or its creators, emphasizing the government’s authority to address potential security risks.

If ByteDance doesn’t divest by January 19, the consequences could be devastating for TikTok in the U.S. The app could disappear from app stores, and its business partnerships in the country would dissolve to comply with the law. Millions of TikTok’s U.S. users, influencers, and content creators may be left scrambling to figure out their next steps.

President-elect Donald Trump has expressed a willingness to “rescue” TikTok after his inauguration on Monday, January 20. Although Trump originally pushed for the crackdown on TikTok, he has softened his stance in recent months. During a December press conference, he stated, “I’ve got a warm spot in my heart for TikTok.”

Whether Trump can or will act to keep the app alive is still unclear. In the meantime, President Joe Biden, who signed the divest-or-ban law, has made it clear that it’s up to Trump’s administration to handle the situation moving forward.

As January 19 approaches, TikTok’s future hangs in the balance. Unless ByteDance finds a buyer for TikTok’s U.S. operations or Trump steps in with a last-minute save, the app may be forced to “go dark” for millions of American users.