TikTok creators in the United States remain in limbo awaiting decision on possible ban on the platform

Will TikTok in the US be banned this month?

It’s the pressing question that keeps founders and small business owners in an anxious limbo as they wait for a decision that could upend their livelihoods. The popular app’s fate will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, which on January 10 will hear arguments on a law requiring TikTok to sever ties with its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or face a U.S. ban .

At the heart of the case is the question of whether the law violates the First Amendment, with TikTok and its creator allies arguing otherwise. The US government, which considers the platform a national security risk, says no.

For creators, TikTok’s doomsday scenarios are nothing new since President-elect Donald Trump first attempted to ban the platform by executive order during his first term. But despite Trump’s recent statements that he now wants TikTok to stay, the prospect of a ban has never been more immediate than now, with the Supreme Court serving as the final arbiter.

If the government prevails as it did in a lower court, TikTok says it would shut down its U.S. platform by Jan. 19, leaving creators scrambling to redefine their future.

“A lot of my other creative friends are all scared. But I’m staying calm,” said Gillian Johnson, who benefited financially from TikTok’s live rewards and features program, which helped creators generate revenue potential. higher income by publishing high posts. -quality original content. The 22-year-old filmmaker and recent college graduate uses her TikTok earnings to fund her equipment for projects like camera lenses and editing software for her short films “Gambit” and “Awaken! My Neighbor.”

Johnson said the idea of ​​TikTok disappearing was “hard to accept.”

Many creators have turned to TikTok to express their frustrations, grappling with the possibility that the platform they have invested so much in could soon disappear. Online communities are at risk of disruption, and the economic fallout could be particularly devastating for those who rely primarily on TikTok and have left their full-time jobs to build careers and income around their content.

For some, the uncertainty has left them wondering whether they should continue creating content, according to Johnson, who says he knows creators who are considering quitting. But Nicla Bartoli, vice president of sales at The Influencer Marketing Factory, said the creators she interacted with weren’t too worried since news of a possible TikTok ban has surfaced repeatedly over the years, then calmed down.

“I think a good portion think it’s not going to happen,” said Bartoli, whose agency works to pair influencers and brands.

It is unclear how soon the Supreme Court will issue its decision. But the court could move quickly to block the law from taking effect if at least five of the nine justices rule it unconstitutional.

Trump, for his part, has already asked the justices to suspend the ban so he can give his opinion after taking office. In a brief — written by his pick for solicitor general — Trump called the First Amendment implications of a TikTok ban “radical and troubling” and said he wanted a “negotiated resolution” to the issue, which which the Biden administration had pursued in vain.

While they wait for the dust to settle in Washington, some creators are exploring alternative ways to promote themselves or their businesses, by encouraging users to follow them on other social media platforms or investing more time in producing unrelated content. -TikTok.

Johnson says she is already strategizing her next step and exploring alternative opportunities. Even though she didn’t find a place like TikTok, she began spending more time on other platforms, like Instagram and YouTube, both of which stand to benefit financially if TikTok disappears.

The so-called creator economy, fueled in part by TikTok, could be worth $480 billion by 2027, according to a Goldman Sachs report.

Since the ability to monetize content exists across a range of platforms, a large number of creators have already diversified their social media presence. However, many TikTok creators have credited the platform — and its algorithm — with giving them a type of exposure they haven’t received on other platforms. Some say it has also boosted and provided opportunities for creators of color and those from other marginalized groups.

Despite fears about TikTok’s fate, industry analysts note that creators generally avoid making major changes, such as abandoning the platform, until something happens.

“I’m anxious, but I’m also trying to be hopeful in a weird way,” said Brandon Hurst, who credits TikTok with saving his business from obscurity and having him propelled towards rapid growth.

A year after joining TikTok, Hurst, 30, who sells plants, said his sales had doubled, surpassing the traction he struggled to gain on Instagram. He built his following through the live feature on TikTok, which helped him sell over 77,000 plants. The business has prospered so much that he says he now employs five people, including his husband and mother.

“For me, it’s been my only way of doing business,” Hurst said.

Billion Dollar Boy, a New York-based influencer marketing agency, advised creators to upload all of their TikTok content into a personal portfolio, which is especially important for those who primarily post on the platform, Edward East said. founder and group of the agency. CEO. This can help them quickly grow their audience elsewhere. Plus, it can serve as a resume for brands who might want to partner with them on product ads, East said.

But until the Jan. 19 deadline, East said creators should continue posting regularly on TikTok, which has 170 million monthly users in the U.S. and remains very effective at reaching audiences.

If the Supreme Court does not delay the ban, as Trump has requested, app stores and internet service providers would be required to stop providing services to TikTok by January 19. This means that anyone who does not have TikTok on their phone would not be able to download it. TikTok users would continue to have access, but the bans – which will prevent them from updating the app – will eventually make the app “unworkable,” the Justice Department said.

TikTok said in court documents that it estimated a month-long shutdown would result in the loss of about a third of its daily users in the United States. The company says a shutdown, even temporary, would cause it irreparable harm, a legal bar used by judges to determine whether to rein in a law facing a challenge. In less than three weeks, Americans will know whether the Supreme Court agrees.