TikTok Ban Timing: Date, Details in Full

• If TikTok does not divest its American arm by Jan. 19, 2025, it will face a nationwide ban in the U.S.
• The Supreme Court heard an appeal from TikTok on Jan. 10, just days before the ban takes effect.
• President-elect Donald Trump and fellow lawmakers have called for a delay to the ban.

Over the past few years, TikTok has faced mounting scrutiny in the U.S., which is estimated to reach 2.14 billion users  in 2025.

The platform’s Chinese ownership sparked regular debates across the government, with some lawmakers labeling the platform a threat to national security and data privacy.

In a crescendo of the debate last year, President Joe Biden signed a law that ordered a nationwide ban on TikTok unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests ownership by Jan. 19, 2025.

However, Biden has now handed over the decision to President-elect Donald Trump, following fierce pushback from some lawmakers and free speech activists calling for a delay in the law.

As the deadline draws closer, here is everything you need to know about TikTok’s upcoming ban.

TikTok Ban: Key Dates

April 26, 2024: Joe Biden Signs TikTok Ban

Throughout March and April, a law to force the sale of ByteDance’s TikTok to a U.S. company or face a nationwide ban stormed through Congress.

Despite TikTok attempting to rally content creators and users to tell the government to stop, the bill continued to move toward the White House.

By the end of the month, the law had been signed by the House of Representatives , the Senate, and President Joe Biden .

ByteDance now faced a real possibility of being sold if it did not divest the American arm of TikTok.

April 26, 2024: ByteDance Would ‘Rather Close Than Sell’

On April. 26, Reuters reported  that TikTok would rather close in the U.S. than sell to a U.S. company.

The China-based company claimed that the algorithms needed to run TikTok  were also needed for the company’s overall operations, making the prospect of a sale unrealistic.

ByteDance vowed to fight back against the U.S. bill while claiming the shutdown would have a limited impact on ByteDance’s business.

In documents viewed by The Information , Michael Beckerman, head of public policy for the Americas and TikTok vice president, told staff the legislation was “a clear violation of the First Amendment rights of the 170 million Americans on TikTok.”

At the same time, TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek  said the government was “using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights.”

Dec. 9, 2024: TikTok Files Emergency Injunction

TikTok filed  an emergency injunction to delay the Jan. 19 deadline for a nationwide ban in January while the Supreme Court deliberates its appeal.

The appeal followed the platform losing its original appeal against the legislation just a few days earlier.

“The public interest favors providing sufficient time for the Supreme Court to conduct an orderly review process and for the incoming Administration to evaluate this exceptionally important case,” ByteDance and TikTok said in their emergency legal filing.

However, the court rejected TikTok’s bid to delay the ban, with the Justice Department stating it was a matter of pressing national security.

Dec. 28, 2024: Donald Trump Hits TikTok U-Turn

On December 28, President-elect Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court to delay the upcoming ban, giving him time to work on a “political resolution.”

“President Trump opposes banning TikTok in the United States at this juncture and seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office,” Trump’s lawyer, John Sauer, wrote in a filing .

Jan. 10, 2025: Supreme Court Hears TikTok Appeal

The Supreme Court will hear arguments from TikTok on Jan. 10, just days before the ban is set to take effect.

Despite the high court previously blocking an injunction against the law, it has allowed TikTok, ByteDance and the U.S. government to plead their cases.

Jan. 14, 2025: Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Delay Ban

Senator Edward Markey has announced  plans to propose a 270-day extension to the ban’s deadline, warning of its social and economic consequences.

“As the January 19th deadline approaches, TikTok creators and users across the nation are understandably alarmed. They are uncertain about the future of the platform, their accounts, and the vibrant online communities they have cultivated,” Markey said on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

“These communities cannot be replicated on another app. A ban would dismantle a one-of-a-kind informational and cultural ecosystem, silencing millions in the process,” he added.

Markey joined two other lawmakers in submitting a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court’s decision to uphold the ban.

“The stakes here are high. That’s why I will soon introduce the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act to extend the deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban by an additional 270 days,” Markey said.

Representative Ro Khanna also urged  both Biden and Trump “to put a pause on this ban so 170 million Americans don’t lose their free speech.”

“Millions of Americans’ livelihoods will be ended if this ban takes place,” Khanna added.

Jan. 16, 2025: Biden Administration Will Not Enforce Ban

On Thursday, Jan. 16, a government official said that President Biden would not enforce the nationwide ban on Sunday, Jan. 19, just one day before he leaves office.

Instead, Biden is handing the decision over to President-elect Donald Trump.

The news came after it was reported on Jan. 16 that Trump was exploring options to delay the ban, including filing an executive order.

Jan. 19, 2025: TikTok Deadline

The final deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operation to an American company.

As it stands, this deadline is expected to be delayed—it is not currently clear when.

With no sale imminent, the company is banking on somehow reversing the ban.

Can Donald Trump Reverse a TikTok Ban?

President-elect Trump, who is being sworn into power a day after the deadline, has indicated he will work on reversing the ban.

Trump could have the power to pause the ban for up to three months if TikTok provides evidence it is actively separating from ByteDance.

This, in theory, means that the President-elect could temporarily delay the ban once he takes power. However, Forbes reported that without any evidence that TikTok is involved in a sale, the ban will likely be challenged  by the court.

Trump could also declare TikTok legal, going against the law signed by Biden. However, this will likely be challenged by the courts and is unlikely to hold up.

Time will tell how TikTok’s future in America looks, but as of right now, its fate lies with the courts.