Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube are getting ready to welcome TikTok users, as the Supreme Court upheld a law that effectively bans the Chinese-owned app from the United States.
“Our position on this has been clear: TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership. Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement,” read the statement.
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday, Jan. 17, to uphold a law that would ban the app for the 170 million people who use the app in the U.S. The ruling lines up with decisions other courts have made and sets up the ban to go into effect on Sunday, Jan. 19.
There are the TikTok creators who fear losing their audiences and have been frantically trying to persuade their fans to follow them on Instagram and YouTube, and the e-commerce brands and drop-shippers that are going to have to find other places to sell their stuff.
Meta stands to be one of the largest beneficiaries of a TikTok ban in the US, analysts say. Through ad dollars alone, Meta could rake in up to $3.38B.
Experts say no other app offers the same financial opportunities as TikTok, while creators fear loss of income if it disappears.
TikTok might be gone — but its effects have changed us forever. Whatever happens to the app, the TikTokification of American life is here to stay.
Instagram is rolling out a new feature that will show your liked Reels to mutuals in a dedicated tab. It takes away the intimacy and safe haven of likes.
Unless TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells the app into new ownership, TikTok will be removed from Apple and Google app stores on Sunday, Jan. 19, reports CNN. The app will still be accessible on phones that have it previously downloaded, but it will not be able to update.
These new Reels features are rolling out in the US first, with plans to expand to other regions in the future. With TikTok's potential exit, Instagram is strategically positioning itself to capture the attention of displaced users seeking similar content-sharing platforms.