TikTok stopped working in the US on a Saturday right before a ban was supposed to happen. When American users opened the app they saw a message saying it was unavailable because of a new law. The message also said the company was hoping to work things out with the next president’s team and get the app back online and told users to check for updates. This all happened because of worries about who owns TikTok and if it was safe to use.
The US government was worried about data security and national security because TikTok is owned by a Chinese company. This worry led to the law that banned the app. The shutdown was instant and all over the country making the app unusable for millions. TikTok said they knew about the ban and were trying to find a way to fix it maybe by talking to the new presidential team and that they wanted the app to work again in the US.
What happens next for TikTok in the US isn’t clear but the company says it wants to fix things and get back online. The shutdown shows a big disagreement between the government’s worries about data and a very popular app. It also shows that the US is paying more attention to tech companies that are owned by other countries and could mean similar things will happen to other platforms in the future. Users are now waiting to see what will happen and the rules for social media apps are still changing.