{"id":97870,"date":"2025-01-22T09:49:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T17:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honeybook.com\/blog\/?p=97870"},"modified":"2025-01-23T13:26:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T21:26:09","slug":"tiktok-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honeybook.com\/blog\/tiktok-ban","title":{"rendered":"TikTok was banned\u2014and now it\u2019s back: what does this mean for small businesses and creators?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How you can create a resilient social media strategy in 2025 and beyond<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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January 2025 has been a whirlwind month for TikTok.  From being a social media powerhouse with about 150 million U.S. users<\/a> to facing a complete shutdown to shutting down and coming back to life in less than 24 hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the ban, nearly half of all Americans were scrolling, posting, and engaging on the platform daily. And it wasn’t just about dance trends, outfit-of-the-days, and viral challenges\u2014TikTok had established itself as a serious business platform, with over 5 million companies<\/a> using it for advertising and more than a million creators making their living through the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The temporary ban sent shockwaves through the world. Businesses that had built their marketing strategies around TikTok were forced to pivot quickly, and creators who depended on the platform for income scrambled to find alternatives\u2014from Instagram to YouTube to XiaoHongShu (RedNote). Many wondered if the platform would ever return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within 24 hours of going dark, TikTok quickly flickered back to life on January 19. And now, we face an interesting shift in the digital landscape. Though the future of the platform remains uncertain, the question isn’t so much about its survival as how the platform and community have evolved through this experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news? In the midst of this uncertainty, there\u2019s a lot you can do to stay prepared. Let\u2019s take a closer look at what exactly happened to TikTok this last week, and more importantly, what you can do to prevent this kind of disruption from impacting your business in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did TikTok get banned in the first place? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The TL;DR behind TikTok’s ban in the U.S. came down to one core issue: its ownership structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is largely owned by its Chinese founders, institutional investors like BlackRock, and its employees.<\/a> But a crucial detail sparked major concerns: The Chinese government held a 1% stake in the company. This ownership, combined with the presence of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) branch at ByteDance, ultimately led to the platform\u2019s ban being passed by Congress and then upheld by the US Supreme Court<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heart of the issue was ByteDance’s legal obligation to comply with Chinese intelligence efforts, given the CCP’s broad legal powers. U.S. lawmakers’ fears centered on the potential for the Chinese government to compel ByteDance to surrender private data on American users, which they believed could be used to exploit U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why Congress gave ByteDance an ultimatum: sell TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When no non-Chinese buyer materialized, Congress passed a law banning TikTok in the US with wide bipartisan support. After being signed into law by President Biden, TikTok challenged the ban on the grounds that it violated the First Amendment. However, after bringing the case to the Supreme Court, the ban was upheld. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though both Presidents Biden and Trump indicated the week before January 19 that neither would enforce the ban when it took place and pushed for an extended grace period\u2014TikTok stopped working for all US users the day before the deadline and removed itself from every major mobile App store.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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The popup US TikTok users received on the evening of January 18, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this was short-lived. By 12 PM Eastern on January 19 of the next day\u2014the actual deadline for the ban to start\u2014TikTok made the following statement on X (formerly Twitter): <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

TikTok resumed normal functionality for existing US users by day’s end, though it remains unavailable in US app stores.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The popup US TikTok users received at noon EST on January 19, 2025.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But wait, can TikTok still be banned? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The short answer is, yes. Though it seems less likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TikTok being banned if not sold, is now law in the US after being passed by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court. However, President Trump signed an executive order on January 20<\/a> that pauses the law for 75 days and does not penalize companies who do business with TikTok. Making TikTok\u2019s status in the US safe, for now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, in the event that TikTok is not sold to a US buyer\u2014it will eventually face a complete and total ban. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What every creator or business should do next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though TikTok is up and running, and a resolution to TikTok\u2019s ban seems imminent\u2014one thing remains certain for creators and businesses: an adaptable social media strategy that withstands change is the only path forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether that change looks like shifting consumer preferences, world events, or yes\u2014entire social media platforms going dark\u2014building sustainability and flexibility into your social media is key to your success not only in 2025, but in the years to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some things that every business and creator should do now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


Develop a multi-channel social media approach <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the old saying goes: \u201cDon\u2019t put all of your eggs in one basket.\u201d This is true for most things in life, and especially for social media in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s one thing that we can take away from the TikTok ban fiasco, it\u2019s this. Relying on one platform to create, build community, or advertise your business is incredibly risky. That\u2019s why, even if you\u2019re just starting out, it\u2019s important to invest in other channels and develop audiences outside of your primary platform so that, should any change arise, you\u2019ll have the channels and audiences to make the jump seamlessly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s not the only benefit\u2014by expanding your audience base to other channels, you\u2019ll be able to engage and influence more people, and have more opportunities than you would have by sticking to only one channel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some rising channels that are trending right now for TikTok creators include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n