Adult US TikTok users spend an average of 54 minutes on the app on any given day, more than Instagram, Snapchat or YouTube, according to research firm eMarketer. If TikTok were to disappear, those platforms along with younger, smaller emerging rivals would be scrambling for those valuable minutes of people's attention. But with an actual ban still likely years away, it's not clear what app will be its biggest beneficiary. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, may see more advertisers amid uncertainty for its biggest rival, according to analysts who follow the company. Creators, dealing with uncertainty themselves are also expanding to other platforms if they weren't already. But users, especially the younger ones who are TikTok's bread and butter, are less predictable. Will they embrace Instagram, a possibly uncool mom favorite? Or could a newer app like Triller rise to viral fame? Here's a look at some notable TikTok alternatives and how they measure up. INSTAGRAM Meta has a
Erich Andersen, the US-based general counsel for TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd, is stepping down from that role, the social media app said
National security, data privacy and 'protecting youth from being misled' are among reasons cited
US President Joe Biden signed into law a landmark bill that gives TikTok a tough choice: sell or be banned
US President Joe Biden signs bill that would ban TikTok if its parent company ByteDance did not divest the app within 270 days
TikTok, which says it has not shared and would not share US user data with the Chinese government, has argued the law amounts to a ban that would violate the US free speech rights of its users
No, TikTok will not suddenly disappear from your phone. Nor will you go to jail if you continue using it after it is banned. After years of attempts to ban the Chinese-owned app, including by former President Donald Trump, a measure to outlaw the popular video-sharing app has won congressional approval and is on its way to President Biden for his signature. The measure gives Beijing-based parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the company, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. If it doesn't, TikTok will be banned. So what does this mean for you, a TikTok user, or perhaps the parent of a TikTok user? Here are some key questions and answers. WHEN DOES THE BAN GO INTO EFFECT? The original proposal gave ByteDance just six months to divest from its U.S. subsidiary, negotiations lengthened it to nine. Then, if the sale is already in progress, the company will get another three months to complete it. So it would be at least a year before a ban goes into
The measure, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday, has been driven by concerns that China could access Americans' data or surveil them with the app
TikTok has more than 170 million American users, according to the company. The platform has a significant number of Gen-Z and millennial voters, crucial voting blocs for Democrats
Legislation forcing TikTok's parent company to sell the video-sharing platform or face a ban in the U.S. received President Joe Biden's official signoff Wednesday. But the newly minted law could be in for an uphill battle in court. Critics of the sell-or-be-banned ultimatum argue it violates TikTok users' First Amendment rights. The app's China-based owner, ByteDance, has already promised to sue, calling the measure unconstitutional. But a court challenge's success is not is not guaranteed. The law's opponents, which include advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, maintain that the government hasn't come close to justifying banning TikTok, while others say national-security claims could still prevail. For years, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok. The U.S. has yet to provide public .
The US Senate has passed a bill banning TikTok in the country. The bill is now awaiting President Joe Biden's signature. If the legislation is signed into law, TikTok could face a potential ban in 9
TikTok said on Wednesday that it's halting a feature on its new app rewarding users in Europe for watching videos, after facing pressure from regulators worried about its addictive features. The company backed down days after the European Union warned that the TikTok Lite app might have breached the 27-nation bloc's digital regulations when it launched earlier this month. The EU's executive Commission threatened to order the suspension of features that pose a risk to kids. TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the EU Commission and other regulators," it said in a post on social media platform X. "We are therefore voluntarily suspending the rewards functions in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns that they have raised. TikTok Lite, which was rolled out in France and Spain, is a slimmed-down version of the main TikTok app that lets users earn rewards. Points earned by watching videos, liking content and following content creators can then be exchanged for rewards ...
Under the bill, Biden has the option to extend that deadline by an additional 90 days if he sees progress toward a sale. That would push a possible ban well into the next presidential term
In a video posted to his TikTok channel and viewed by nearly 2 million people, King unwrapped £2,000 ($2,488) worth of seemingly high-end Nike shoes, new in their boxes
That action would be an unprecedented move by Congress to use legislation to threaten the ban of a large consumer technology platform
"That is 100% false," said TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek, when asked for comment on whether the company is set to remove Andersen from his role
The House passed legislation on Saturday that would ban TikTok in the United States if the popular social media platform's China-based owner doesn't sell its stake within a year, but don't expect the app to go away anytime soon. The decision by House Republicans to include TikTok as part of a larger foreign aid package, a priority for President Joe Biden with broad congressional support for Ukraine and Israel, fast-tracked the ban after an earlier version had stalled in the Senate. A standalone bill with a six-month selling deadline passed the House in March by an overwhelming bipartisan vote as both Democrats and Republicans voiced national security concerns about the app's owner, the Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd. The modified measure now goes to the Senate after negotiations that produced a compromise. Even if the legislation becomes law, though, the company would have up to a year to find a buyer and would likely try to challenge the law in court, arguing it would depriv
US politicians have cited national security concerns in their push to force the company to either sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban in the US market
Legislation that could ban TikTok in the US if its China-based owner doesn't sell its stake won a major boost late Wednesday when House Republican leaders included it in a package of bills that would send aid to Ukraine and Israel. The bill could be law as soon as next week if Congress moves quickly. The TikTok legislation, which passed the House in March and has widespread support in both chambers, was included in the House foreign policy package after negotiations with the Senate over how long the Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd would have to sell its stake for the app to continue operating in the United States. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the TikTok legislation if it reaches his desk. The bill was included in the national security package after it won a key endorsement from Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, who said in a statement that she had successfully pushed to extend the period from six months to a year to give the company enough time
European Union regulators said Wednesday they're seeking details from TikTok on a new app from the video sharing platform that pays users to watch videos. The European Commission said it sent TikTok a request for information on the TikTok Lite app that has been quietly released in France and Spain. The commission wants to know about the risk assessment that TikTok should have carried out before deploying the app in the European Union. We have already been in direct contact with the Commission regarding this product and will respond to the request for information," TikTok said in a statement. Such evaluations are required under the bloc's Digital Services Act, a sweeping law that took effect last year with the aim of cleaning up social media platforms. The commission is the 27-nation bloc's executive arm and top enforcer of digital regulations. TikTok Lite lets users "earn great rewards," according to its app store listing. The app, which launched this month in France and Spain, is