TikTok has officially been banned in the U.S., and the popular social media app is no longer accessible within its borders. When users attempt to open the app, they are met with a message stating, "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now." The message goes on to explain, "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! In the meantime, you can still download your data."

TikTok's last-ditch effort to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was unanimously rejected last week. Despite recognizing that many other apps collect substantial amounts of user data, the Court found TikTok to pose a unique potential for harm. "There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," the U.S. Supreme Court stated. "But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights."

TikTok remains hopeful that Donald Trump will bring it back online after he assumes the presidency on January 20. Although no definitive word has been given, Trump mentioned in an NBC News interview on January 18 that he will "most likely" delay the ban for 90 days. This delay would provide an opportunity for a buyer from the United States or one of its allies to purchase the app, a step that has yet to happen and precipitated the ban. In the meantime, other apps linked to TikTok's parent company ByteDance, such as CapCut, Lemon8, and Marvel Snap, have also gone offline.