TikTok’s Legal Battle: What Creators Need to Know

On Sunday, January 19th, creators woke up to an unsettling reality: TikTok was offline. Instead of their usual scroll to connect with their audiences, they were met with a popup directing them away from the app. For 14 hours, TikTok remained dark, giving users a glimpse of what could lie ahead.

While TikTok eventually returned, the event raised major questions about the app’s future—one that for months has felt uncertain.

The reason behind TikTok’s shutdown is rooted in national security concerns. In April 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law demanding that ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, sell its stake in the app by January 19, 2025—or face a potential full ban in the U.S.

The primary fear is that the Chinese government could use TikTok to manipulate content shown to U.S. users or harvest sensitive data for geopolitical purposes. In response, TikTok's legal team and user advocates argued that the law violates the First Amendment, which protects free speech.

On January 10, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments, and one week later, it unanimously upheld the federal law banning TikTok. This ruling aligned with predictions from legal analysts, marking a critical turning point in the app's ongoing battle to stay online in the U.S.

Initially, many assumed that if TikTok were banned, existing users would still have access to their accounts, but updates would likely be halted, making the app increasingly difficult to use.

However, Sunday’s outage gave us a preview of how TikTok will respond to a ban. Rather than allowing the app to gradually become obsolete, TikTok chose to go dark altogether.

In response to the shutdown, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to restore access to TikTok. However, Apple and Google have continued to withhold TikTok from their app stores, wary of the potential financial repercussions if the ban is reinstated.

Given the uncertainty surrounding TikTok, creators are wise to start considering other platforms to stay connected with their followers. Here are a few alternatives to TikTok:

Instagram Reels: Instagram’s Reels feature, introduced in 2020, was designed to replicate TikTok’s short-form video format. With over a billion active users, Instagram remains a top choice for creators looking to reach a broad audience. Recently, Instagram has ramped up its efforts to pull in TikTok users, extending Reels from 90 seconds to 3 minutes. Meta is even offering TikTok creators between $10K–$50K for exclusive Reels content.

YouTube Shorts: Launched in 2020, YouTube Shorts allows creators to share videos up to 60 seconds long. With YouTube's massive user base, it’s a great alternative for creators looking to tap into an established audience. YouTube also offers monetization opportunities for Shorts creators, making it a compelling option.

Red Note: Red Note, known as Xiaohongshu in China, offers a similar video experience to TikTok. While it has become a go-to platform for some TikTok users, it’s not without risks. Given its Chinese roots, there’s always a possibility that it could face similar bans. That being said, that hasn’t stopped TikTok users from migrating and finding each other under the hashtag “TikTokrefugee” which has been viewed 100 million times.

While many were initially eyeing Lemon8 as a potential alternative, TikTok’s shutdown also impacted other ByteDance apps, including Lemon8 and the popular video editing tool, CapCut. So, it’s crucial to be cautious about relying on any platform with ties to ByteDance, as a widespread ban could affect multiple apps.

It’s essential for creators to take proactive steps to safeguard their content and remain connected with their audience. Here are a few actions you should consider:

Download and Back Up Your Content: Make sure all your TikTok videos are saved before any potential shutdown. This includes videos you've created but haven’t yet posted, as well as any content you're currently working on using CapCut.

Diversify Your Platforms: Start branching out to other social media platforms, finding the format that feels most natural to you.

Encourage Followers to Join You on Other Platforms: Let your audience know where they can find you if TikTok disappears. Directing your followers to alternative platforms now will make the transition smoother.

We understand that the loss of TikTok will significantly impact our creator community and we want to reassure you that no matter where you choose to share your content, we’re here to help you thrive. Whether TikTok remains in the U.S. or not, we’re committed to supporting you every step of the way, making it easier for you to connect with your audience and share your favorite products—on any platform.