TikTok has narrowly dodged a ban that would have shut it down in the US, following incoming US President Donald Trump’s promise to issue an executive order that protects it.
With more than 170 million American account holders, the app is used by roughly 60% of the country’s 13- to 17-year-olds, according to Pew Research Center data for 2024. President Trump’s plan is to give TikTok’s Chinese parentco ByteDance more time to find a buyer—and he’s proposing that a US government acquire 50% of the app, he said yesterday in a post on Truth Social. (TikTok is not available to download via the iOS or Android stores in the US as of press time).
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” according to a statement ByteDance released on X yesterday. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over seven million small businesses to thrive.
“It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
Given the gap in time between a US Supreme Court decision on Friday to uphold a Congress-imposed total ban against ByteDance and President Trump being sworn in today, there was a period of uncertainty over the weekend, resulting in TikTok being shut down in the US for roughly 12 hours—a situation that put creators and users on the hunt for other platforms.
And it’s not just TikTok that’s being affected. Second Dinner’s Marvel Snap collectible card game faces the same fate since its publisher Nuverse is a subsidiary of ByteDance, but with much less public attention. Marvel Snap shut down on the weekend, and was still dark as of press time.
ByteDance’s problems have been something of a boon for competing platforms, such as Zigazoo Kids, a vertical video-sharing platform for six- to 12-year-olds where creators and brands make content, pose challenges and ask kids questions they can respond to in videos of their own. New users who flocked to Zigazoo in anticipation of a TikTok ban helped the platform get to number one in the Apple App Store for children yesterday, says Zigazoo Kids president Ashley Mady.
The key takeaway from this TikTok ban situation should be that companies can’t rely on one platform for marketing, brand engagement or revenue anymore, according to Mady. “[It] underscores the need for creators and brands to re-evaluate their reliance on single-platform strategies and prioritize diversification,” she says. “Creators must ensure they are active on emerging platforms—those that effectively reach niche audiences and provide opportunities for growth and sustainable revenue streams.”
To this end, RedNote has gotten a fair bit of attention in the broader social media market lately. But for those looking to engage kids specifically, turning to YouTube is the smarter play, says Lee Parkhurst, a former senior brand manager at Educational Insights who now runs his own brand-building consultancy, Parkhurst Marketing.
The ban was short-lived this time, but it’s a warning that companies and creators shouldn’t have all their business eggs in one basket, Parkhurst notes. His advice for them is to tap into the similarities TikTok shares with YouTube Shorts. Brands should repurpose TikTok content for YouTube Shorts and set up shopping on YouTube from these existing videos.
“With integrated shopping capabilities, affiliate programs and YouTube’s revenue-sharing model, creators and brands can drive both engagement and sales with the short-form and long-form video content YouTube is known for,” says Parkhurst.
Image courtesy of Nik via Unsplash
This story was updated to make it clear President Trump proposed the US government own 50% of TikTok.