President Biden passed a new law that could lead to Tik-Tok being banned in the US. It is meant to protect Americans from foreign influence, which is a big problem for Tik-Tok’s Chinese owner. This was first announced on December 16, 2024.

The new law is called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. It would force Tik-Tok’s owner to either sell it to an American company or have it be banned from the US. According to an NBC News article by Lawrence Hurley, “The law, called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Ac, would require TikTok’s Chinese owner, Bytedance, to sell the platform to an American Company or face a ban” (Hurley, December 16, 2024).

If the new law doesn’t get repealed, it will take effect on January 19, 2025. Future President Trump says that he could save Tik-Tok once he becomes president again, because he has a “warm spot” for it. This happened after he tried to ban the app during his first term in the White House. According to a CBS News article by Fin Gómez and Catlin Yilek, “During his first term in the White House, Trump tried to ban the app” (Gómez-Yilek, December 16, 2024).

Tik-Tok asked the Supreme Court for a delay to be put on the law. On Monday, December 16, Trump met with Tik-Tok’s owner in Florida. The conclusion is that a 90 day extension could be possible if they work on selling it to a US company. The owner is not very happy about this plan, though. The CBS article further states, “But TikTok has argued that a sale is unfeasible and the Chinese government opposes the sale of the algorithm which powers the app” (Gómez-Yilek, December 16, 2024).

Tik-Tok has become very popular since its release in 2018. It now has 170 million users in America alone. The time is “tik-ing” for the owner to make a decision. Will this be the end of Tik-Tok?