How US TikTok ban could affect users in the UK as it's set to happen on Sunday

With a TikTok ban set to come into effect in the US on Sunday, the app faces an uncertain future stateside.

According to Sky News, it was ruled by the US Supreme Court that from Sunday (19 January), TikTok will be removed from Google and Android stores if it is not sold by it's parent company - leaving many Americans without access to the app.

As of 2025 (via Charle.com), TikTok is the fifth most active social media platform with 1.6 billion active users, just coming up shy of Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp.

But how will the ban affect things across the pond in the UK?

TikTok is facing a ban on Sunday (Getty Stock Images)

Why is the TikTok ban happening?

A ban against TikTok was initially proposed during Donald Trump's first run as President, with Trump claiming that the app was exposing massive amounts of US data to the Chinese government.

An executive order said (via USA Today): "These risks are real. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information − potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage."

However, this was dropped by President Joe Biden's administration.

In April 2024, congress, as well as President Biden, signed a bill ordering ByteDance, who own TikTok, to sell it to an approved buyer or else face an app shutdown.

The concern was due to lawmakers accusing ByteDance of having links to the Chinese government, therefore posing a safety threat, but ByteDance has continuously denied any connections and have previously stated they wouldn't sell the app.

What does the ban mean for UK users?

It won't have a direct impact as UK app stores are governed by UK legalisation, however, there are concerns of the knock-on effect it could have.

According to Yahoo!, the US is the country providing the app with most of its English speaking users and a ban could mean depriving UK users of their favourite content creators from across the Atlantic.

And it won’t just be viewers feeling the pinch as UK creators could lose huge chunks of their audiences, which is of particular concern for TikTokers who make their living off the app.

The TikTok ban in the US could impact users in the UK - though not massively (Getty Stock Images)

Could the UK ban TikTok?

While there's no news of an official ban across the country, the UK has previously implemented a ban on the work phones of ministers and civil servants - though Yahoo! say an exemption is made for those who need it for work purposes.

Can it be stopped?

There's only one way the ban could be stopped - and that's if Trump decides to veto it when stepping into his second run as President.

And despite his previous attempt to ban it, he has since softened his stance, as he says he has a 'warm spot' for the app, USA Today reports, and even vowed to 'save' the platform where his campaign generated 'millions of views'.

He even credited the app for helping him win the election, Sky News says. But while he can undermine it, he may not have the power to overturn it.

What is Rednote?

Since the news broke, another app called Rednote has since grown in popularity as a 'TikTok replacement'.

The platform is owned by Shanghai-based company Xingyin Information Technology and allows users to share photos and videos from their daily lives, as well as shop online.

Numerous people have documented their move to Rednote, with Reuters reporting that more than 700,000 'TikTok refugees' joined the platform.