By Seher Dareen
(Reuters) – U.S. content creators on TikTok have asked their followers to subscribe to their channels on rival platforms like Meta-owned Instagram and Alphabet's (NASDAQ:) YouTube after a court federal appeals court ruled that the social media app could be banned if it were. not sold to a US-based company before January 19.
TikTok has become a major digital force in the United States, as it now has 170 million users in the United States, particularly younger ones attracted by its short and often irreverent videos. It attracted advertisers from some of America's biggest players and added the TikTok Shop shopping platform, which has become a marketplace for small businesses.
The US Congress, fearing that TikTok's Chinese owners were collecting information on US consumers, passed a law forcing its Chinese-backed owner ByteDance to divest its TikTok to the US or face a ban. On Friday, a federal appeals court upheld the law.
Threats by politicians and others against TikTok have been increasing for years, leading some users to ignore recent threats. That appeared to change on Friday, with the prospect of a ban just six weeks away. An appeal to the Supreme Court is still possible.
“For the first time, I realize that a lot of what I worked for could disappear,” Chris Mowrey, a Democratic social media influencer with 470,000 followers on TikTok, told Reuters. “I don’t think we’ve talked enough about the detrimental economic consequences for small businesses and creators.”
On the app, viewers and content creators expressed concerns and confusion, with many saying they doubted the platform would survive and were prepared for the worst.
Chris Burkett, a content creator on TikTok with 1.3 million people following his men's lifestyle videos, said he doesn't think the platform will last. “I don't think this app has longevity in the United States,” he said in a video post, asking his audience to follow him on other social media platforms, like Instagram, YouTube, X and Threads.
“We've spent so many years and a lot of time building our community here,” said travel foodie content creator SnipingForDom, who has 898,000 followers on the app. Even though he didn't think the end was near for TikTok, he still asked his followers to contact him on his Instagram page.
Others were also waiting for more information. TikTok Shop consultant Sarah Jannetti said her clients aren't worried about a possible TikTok ban and won't change their business “until they see something more concrete.”
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