]
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 28: In this photo illustration, a TikTok logo is displayed on an iPhone … [+]
TikTok has been officially banned in the U.S. Instead of waiting until midnight on Jan. 19 to cease operations, the app began logging out users late on the evening of Jan. 18, just before the Supreme Court’s deadline.
Social media platforms like X were flooded with reactions from TikTok users, many of whom were enjoying their final moments on the app when, around 10:30 p.m. ET, they were suddenly logged out and received the following message:
“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!”
The message provided no options for users to download their information or save their videos. Some users said they were in the middle of saving their videos when the app began glitching, then TikTok showed the notification and logged them out.
“Bro tiktok literally started glitching as i was saving videos and BOOM its gone,” one X user wrote.
“I can’t load any more tiktok’s. no more doom scrolling. its gone. it’s so over,” another said.
Many people expressed disappointment over the early ban, as it was initially expected that the app would remain accessible until around midnight ET. “GUYS ITS GONE THEY SAID WE HAD 2 HOURS,” said X user @fadedylan.
The U.S. TikTok ban advanced on Friday after the Supreme Court unanimously upheld a law mandating that TikTok either separate from its parent company, ByteDance, or be removed from U.S. app stores and hosting services beginning Jan, 19.
On Friday, TikTok warned users that it would shut down over the weekend unless the Biden administration issued clear assurances to Apple, Google, and other service providers, who risk $5,000 fines for every user accessing TikTok after the ban is enforced.
President-elect Donald Trump, who first called for a ban in 2020 over national security concerns, assured his followers on Truth Social that he would be making a “decision on the app” soon.
According to the law, Trump could grant a 90-day extension after he takes office to delay the band if TikTok demonstrates it is working to separate from ByteDance. TikTok must prove it is on a “path to executing” a divestiture from its Chinese owner, show “evidence of significant progress” toward a sale, and finalize this progress with “relevant binding legal agreements.”
Check out more reactions on X about TikTok’s ban, below.
