What the App Now Says

POV: You’re looking for a new app to scroll through for hours.

Just hours before Jan 19 after the Supreme Court upheld a law that would require TikTok be sold to an American company to remain active in the country, a nationwide ban on the popular video sharing app officially went into effect.

Now, when users open the app, they’re met with a message — and no video content. “Sorry, TikTok is not available right now,” the note began. “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok right now.”

Yes, for now. “We’re lucky President [Donald] Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office [Jan. 20],” the message continued. “Please stay tuned!”

Last April, President Joe Biden signed the law passed by Congress that would ban Internet hosting platforms from distributing and serving TikTok while it remained under the ownership of its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, citing national security concerns.