In the late hours of Saturday, January 18, TikTok temporarily shut down ahead of a law that took effect on Sunday, January 19. The law cites data privacy concerns over TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. Here's everything you need to know:
Updated January 19, 4 PM CST
TikTok has been restored to U.S. users with limited functionality, TikTok Live Streaming is still unavailable. CapCut remains down.
Updated January 19, 12:30 PM CST
TikTok has begun restoring service to U.S. users. President-Elect Donald Trump is expected to sign an Executive Order on his first day in office to offer TikTok a 90-day extension to make a sale.
Updated January 19, 10 AM CST
U.S. users initially received an in-app message stating:
“Important Updates from TikTok: We regret that a U.S. law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. We're working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned.”
This message was later amended to:
“Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
TikTok has indicated that discussions with the incoming administration are underway, and the shutdown is expected to be temporary. The app could potentially return as early as Monday, January 20. President-elect Donald Trump confirmed this to NBC News, stating, “The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done.”
Currently, any users who created their TikTok accounts in the U.S. have been banned from accessing the app. Creators Tara Michelle (Canada) and Mary Skinner (Scotland) shared on Instagram that despite now living abroad, they are unable to access their accounts that were created when they lived in the U.S. However, they were still able to use the app and have the option to create new accounts. Skinner also confirmed that U.S.-based accounts remain visible and accessible to international users, suggesting that this data has not been deleted and users will likely regain access to their original accounts if the ban is lifted.
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Popular editing app CapCut, also owned by ByteDance, is currently down for U.S. users. For those seeking alternative editing platforms, check out our Instagram post for recommendations.
If you have TikTok posts scheduled to auto-post, it is likely that these posts will not be published. We're actively monitoring for any changes in functionality and working on solutions to support your social media strategy. All your other connected social media platforms will continue to function normally, and we recommend rescheduling your TikTok content for a later date or repurposing it for other platforms until the ban is resolved.
Be patient. All signs point to the ban being temporary, and it’s likely that U.S. users will regain access to their accounts, at least for a period of 90 days.
Let this be a reminder of the value in diversifying your social media presence. Use this time to explore strategies for other platforms like Instagram and YouTube, or find new ways to stay connected with your community like an email newsletter or a membership via your Creator Store.
We’ll continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.
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