TikTok, the social media giant owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, plans to cease operations in the United States on Sunday, January 19. This coincides with the enforcement of a federal law banning the app in the country, marking the culmination of years of scrutiny over its ties to the Chinese government.
TikTok’s shutdown decision exceeds the requirements of the ban, which prohibits new downloads and updates but allows existing users to retain the app. Instead, TikTok will cut off access entirely, directing users to a webpage about the ban and providing options to download their data.
The shutdown will impact TikTok’s estimated 170 million monthly active U.S. users, many of whom rely on the app for entertainment, community engagement, and income. The decision marks a significant turning point in the fraught relationship between the U.S. government and ByteDance, highlighting broader concerns over national security, privacy, and digital sovereignty.
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The Road to the Ban
TikTok’s troubles in the U.S. date back to the Trump administration, when then-President Donald Trump first proposed banning the app over fears it could serve as a surveillance tool for the Chinese government. Though that effort failed, bipartisan concerns over TikTok persisted, culminating in the 2024 passage of a federal law mandating ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban.
Lawmakers have pointed to Chinese laws requiring companies like ByteDance to share user data with the government upon request as a primary concern. Despite ByteDance’s repeated denials and assurances that TikTok operates independently of the Chinese government, U.S. officials remain unconvinced.
The Biden administration continued the scrutiny, eventually signing the ban into law in April 2024. While the law does not explicitly mandate the app’s immediate shutdown, TikTok’s decision to cease operations altogether underscores the challenges ByteDance faces in navigating a highly politicized environment.
American Users Switch to RedNote
TikTok’s departure leaves a gaping void in the American digital landscape. The app has become a cultural phenomenon, known for its short-form videos that span entertainment, education, activism, and beyond. Creators, many of whom have built careers and livelihoods on TikTok, now face the prospect of losing their primary platform overnight.
In the lead-up to the ban, American users have explored alternatives, with Chinese-owned apps like Xiaohongshu (marketed as RedNote in the U.S.) and Lemon8 experiencing a surge in downloads. RedNote, a platform focused on social sharing and community engagement, has emerged as a surprising beneficiary of TikTok’s downfall. Despite technical glitches and account moderation issues, over 700 million TikTok users have migrated to the app, creating a new space for cultural exchange. American users have helped Chinese users with English skills while learning Mandarin in return.
The migration to RedNote, whose default language is Mandarin, has sparked an unexpected spike in Mandarin learners in the U.S. Duolingo, a popular language-learning app, has reported a 216% year-over-year increase in new Mandarin learners, with a sharp spike in mid-January as RedNote adoption accelerated. Downloads of Duolingo itself also surged, rising by 36% across the App Store and Google Play, according to data from app intelligence provider Appfigures.
Duolingo’s rise in the app rankings—from the 40s to No. 22 in Top Overall and No. 20 in Top Apps—reflects the growing interest in learning Chinese among Americans navigating the shift from TikTok to RedNote. Many new Duolingo users cited TikTok as their motivation for picking up Mandarin, demonstrating the app’s continued cultural influence even in its final days of operation.
While concerns over ByteDance’s potential data-sharing with the Chinese government were central to the ban, the mass migration to RedNote indicates that many American users are not overly worried about data privacy. Instead, their actions signal a demand for the type of innovative and engaging social networking experiences that TikTok pioneered, which U.S. competitors like Meta have struggled to replicate.
For TikTok’s competitors, the ban also represents an opportunity and a challenge. Companies like Instagram and YouTube, which have developed TikTok-inspired features such as Reels and Shorts, may see a boost in usage. However, the surge in RedNote downloads demonstrates that users are willing to explore alternatives outside the U.S. tech ecosystem, particularly those with unique offerings.
While some users hold out hope for a last-minute resolution, TikTok’s operations in the U.S. appear to be drawing to a definitive close. The Biden administration is reportedly exploring ways to allow TikTok to remain operational, potentially through a forced sale of its U.S. assets. However, ByteDance has shown little willingness to divest its ownership, and the political climate remains hostile to any compromise.