Originally posted on Friday, January 17th, 2025 at 5:01pm CT. Last updated on Monday, January 20th, 2025 at 8:54pm CT.
The Supreme Court voted to uphold a federal law that bans TikTok—a social media platform for creating and sharing short videos—unless the app is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. However, shortly after taking office on Monday, January 20th, President Trump signed an executive action delaying enforcement of the ban for 75 days.
The prospect of the ban moving forward raises concerns among marketers and influencers, given TikTok’s popularity and the role it plays as a driver in digital commerce. However, it also brings relief to cybersecurity and IT experts with security concerns about ByteDance’s connection to the Chinese government, the ways in which it handles sensitive information, and the proliferation of false information on the platform.
The Biden team did not take action to implement the ban on the 19th, their final day in office, saying that the decision of whether or not to enforce it would fall to the next administration.
Despite the Biden administration's statement that they will not prosecute American companies for hosting or distributing TikTok and will leave it up to the incoming Trump administration, TikTok briefly made itself unavailable to users on Saturday evening.
TikTok reversed that action around midday on Sunday and showed all users a pop-up crediting President Trump for bringing the service back.
How Does This Affect Social Media Marketing?
TikTok has 170 million users in the US alone, and the platform generates approximately $1 billion in monthly revenue for small businesses. 50% of users make purchases after viewing content on the platform, making it a tool for driving sales and brand engagement. A TikTok ban would eliminate opportunities for businesses to connect with potential consumers.
However, according to a 2024 survey, Facebook remains the top platform for marketing, with 86% of marketers using it for promotional efforts. Instagram follows closely behind at 79%, and 65% of marketers use LinkedIn.
“The TikTok ban serves as a wake-up call for marketers and influencers: never put all your eggs in one social media basket.
Relying solely on one platform can be a risky strategy. Diversification isn’t just about audience expansion or future-proofing—it’s about mitigating risks like this. Social platforms come and go. Remember Myspace, Vine, or Tumblr? They were once giants but now artifacts in social media history.
Plus, not every piece of content thrives on every platform. What doesn’t land on TikTok could perform great on Instagram, X, or YouTube. Each platform has its unique strengths: Instagram is perfect for visuals and LinkedIn for thought leadership. Diversifying your strategy ensures your message reaches the right audience in the right format.
By spreading your presence across platforms, you future-proof your brand, expand your reach, and protect against the unexpected.” - Ava Smith, Social Media Coordinator, Impact
For video marketing, 59% of marketers intend to increase their organic use of YouTube for marketing throughout this year. This video-sharing website could see an even bigger increase in usage by marketers if TikTok is no longer an option.
The potential loss of TikTok presents a challenge and an opportunity for businesses and marketers.
"The success of any social media strategy hinges on creativity and authenticity. With the potential TikTok ban, brands have an opportunity to get creative and find new ways to connect with their audience.
One really exciting possibility is the rise of AI-powered avatars. Imagine these AI guides as personalized brand ambassadors, offering real-time product information and tailored recommendations. Brands could design these avatars to be unique reflections of their brand, from their personality to their aesthetic, like we can customize characters in games like The Sims.
This could be a game-changer in how brands build deeper more intimate connections with their customers and would be a lot of fun for us marketers." - LK Hoopingarner, Vice President of Managed Marketing Services, Impact
As the situation develops, brands will have to adapt quickly, finding new ways to capture the attention of their audiences.
What Are the Security Concerns with TikTok and What Do They Mean for Your Business?
Among the primary concerns with the app are how much user data TikTok collects, how they are beholden to share that information with the Chinese government upon request, and how they can influence users with their algorithm determining what information and opinions they consume.
Businesses should always be cautious about which apps they allow on company devices or which apps are accessible even on personal devices while on company networks. Before this ruling, TikTok was already banned on government devices due to information-gathering concerns.
However, many experts are more worried about TikTok's algorithm, and the ways in which its popularity can spread misinformation or hide crucial information sympathetic towards causes to which the Chinese Communist Party is hostile.
"To me, the issue isn't really about the Chinese government having end users' data. Our data is already everywhere. Most of us have been part of a data breach, so our personal information is already out there.
The real concern about TikTok is the algorithm, how the platform is so influential, and the large amount of fake information on it. The ban is about protecting people who aren't trained to spot misinformation or social engineering from themselves.
The controls for the ban are weak. And if you've used TikTok at any point, they already have your data. Scrolling puppy videos at night isn't enhancing that data for them to use against you in some way. What we need is greater media literacy for the average user." - Patrick Layton, President of Managed IT Services, Impact
How Will the TikTok Ban Work Technologically?
Despite the Biden administration being clear that they wouldn't enforce the ban before officially leaving office, TikTok voluntarily and temporarily went dark for American users on Saturday evening. They took a similar tactic when it was banned in India in 2020, with a prompt appearing on the app when users attempted to log in saying that the service is no longer available.
The law itself technically doesn’t ban TikTok itself, but makes it illegal for American companies to "distribute, maintain, or update (or enable the distribution, maintenance, or updating of) a foreign adversary controlled application.”
That means that, if the Trump administration ends up deciding to move forward with the ban, TikTok won't be able to be hosted on American cloud platforms and American app stores won't be able to offer it.
All of this being said, as it’s not possible to remove an existing app from a private user’s device, there are many remaining questions about any entity’s ability to enforce a full ban of TikTok if users attempt to access it through a VPN or other means.
This situation is changing quickly and this post will be updated as more information comes in.