
TikTok Makes a Final Effort to Avoid U.S. Ban
By Movieguide® Contributor
As the eve of the TikTok ban grows ever nearer, the company is making one last attempt to avoid being blocked for American users, pleading with the Supreme Court to overturn previous rulings.
“The Supreme Court has an established record of upholding American’s right to free speech,” TikTok said in a statement, per Variety. “Today, we are asking the Court to do what it has traditionally done in free speech cases: apply the most rigorous scrutiny to speech bans and conclude that it violates the First Amendment.”
“The TikTok ban results in a massive and unprecedented censorship of over 170 million Americans on January 19, 2025,” the statement continued. “Estimates show that small businesses on TikTok would lose more than $1 billion in revenue and creators would suffer almost $300 million in lost earnings in just one month unless the ban is halted.”
While the impact of this ban is certainly notable, lawmakers already took it into account when voting on the ban last spring. After weighing the cost, they still overwhelmingly decided to ban the social media site for the sake of national security, despite the economic impact of restricting the app.
Ever since Congress first considered the ban, TikTok has been promoting its First Amendment rights, claiming they would be infringed upon by such an action. However, no court has yet sided with them, leaving it on track to be banned in January. The company has already made its case to a Court of Appeals but did not receive the reprieve it was hoping for.
READ MORE: U.S. COURT OF APPEALS TO HEAR LEGAL CHALLENGES TO POSSIBLE TIKTOK BAN
While presenting before the Supreme Court remains the next course of action for TikTok, the company may have one final hope outside of the legal system. President-elect Donald Trump has flip-flopped on his opinion of the ban, sometimes in favor of national security, while other times warning that a ban will only put more power into the hands of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg. Most recently, Trump shared an affinity for TikTok, citing the platform as a major reason why he was able to connect with younger voters during the election.
As for the American public, despite 170 million users, half of the population supports the ban, and many have begun scrolling on TikTok alternatives in preparation for Jan. 19.
READ MORE: AS TIKTOK FACES U.S. BAN, COMPETITORS LOOK TO FILL THE MARKET