Millions of American TikTok users were met with an unwelcome notice on Saturday night that their beloved app had been banned and shut down, but their exile lasted less than 24 hours. The Chinese-owned company restored service on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump said he would revive U.S. access.
As users returned, some cringed at sappy goodbyes posted before the shutdown or thanked Trump on social media site X, while others wondered whether the TikTok world would ever be the same again. Some users are concerned about the future of the app, questioning what the cost of its revival could be.
Trump’s action to save TikTok represents a reversal from his first term in office, when he aimed to ban the short-video app over concerns the company could share Americans’ personal info with the Chinese government. However, Trump has recently stated that he has “a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” crediting the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 election.
TikTok stopped working for U.S. users late on Saturday before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. Trump said he would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.” He also expressed his desire for the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture.
Some users are worried that such a change to the company’s ownership structure could ultimately alter the TikTok experience. They fear that a change in ownership could impact the algorithms that drive the app’s operations, which are core to the overall operations of ByteDance. Others, particularly those who earn a living from the app, lament their trust in the government will never be the same.
Confronting the specter of losing the business opportunities that the app provided them was not a pleasant experience for some users. They expressed relief that TikTok was back online, but some are still concerned about the future of the app. For others, however, relief is the important thing, no matter its source.
