TikTok won’t shut down on April 5th. The popular social media platform, which over 170 million Americans use, will stay online. President Trump has given ByteDance 75 more days to sell TikTok.

The platform’s struggles with US restrictions aren’t new. The app faced a nationwide ban that started January 19, 2025, but nobody enforced it. A previous ban attempt this year lasted just 14 hours before President Trump restored TikTok’s services. The new deadline for a possible US ban is now June 19, 2025. ByteDance’s compliance with the sale requirements before this deadline will decide TikTok’s fate.

Let’s take a closer look at the latest updates about TikTok’s status. We’ll get into how everything unfolded and what might happen if US authorities actually ban TikTok. We’ll also explore whether another ban could follow this extension and what options remain for TikTok’s future in America.

Is TikTok getting banned on April 5, 2025?

No, TikTok will not be banned on April 5, 2025. President Trump signed an executive order on April 4, 2025, which prevented an immediate shutdown—just one day before the previous deadline would have expired. This represents Trump’s second deadline extension since taking office in January.

ByteDance now has until June 19, 2025, giving them 75 more days to work out a possible sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations. The extension came after a nearly complete deal fell apart. Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on Chinese goods made China step away from negotiations.

Legal experts have started to question Trump’s approach of delaying enforcement through executive orders. The original legislation (the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act) allows the president to grant one 90-day extension to the divestiture deadline. Trump has instead chosen to use 75-day delays through executive action.

This strategy worries three Democratic senators who believe it might create legal problems for companies like Oracle, Apple, and Google that host and distribute the app. These companies might face fines of $5,000 per user if they help Americans access TikTok after a ban takes effect.

Americans seem split on their views about TikTok. A recent Pew Research Center survey shows that a third of Americans support a ban, a third oppose it, and the rest haven’t made up their minds. Data security concerns drive about 80% of those who want restrictions.

TikTok’s 170 million American users can still access the app through these extensions. Trump has hinted at the possibility of another extension if needed, which suggests an outright ban probably won’t happen anytime soon.

How we got here: Timeline of TikTok ban efforts

The clash between TikTok and the U.S. government started well before the current April 5th deadline. August 2020 marked the first most important action against the platform as then-President Trump issued executive orders that required ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations. This original ban attempt failed after courts blocked its enforcement.

President Biden stopped the Trump-era legal cases once he took office in February 2021. Notwithstanding that, his administration continued to worry about the app. FBI Director Christopher Wray cautioned in December 2022 that Chinese officials could manipulate TikTok’s algorithm to conduct influence operations.

The government ordered federal agencies to remove TikTok from their devices in February 2023. TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew faced tough questions during a six-hour congressional hearing the next month.

Legislative action gained speed in March 2024. TikTok brought dozens of creators to Washington to lobby against restrictions. The company sent notifications to users asking them to “speak up now” and call congressional offices. The House passed the bill despite these efforts.

A turning point came in April 2024 when President Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act after Senate approval. The 270-day old law required ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban.

TikTok and ByteDance challenged the law’s constitutionality in May 2024. A federal appeals court unanimously upheld the legislation in December 2024.

The Supreme Court dealt the final legal blow on January 17, 2025, with a unanimous decision to uphold the law. So TikTok went dark for about 14 hours on January 19.

President Trump’s first action in office on January 20 was signing an executive order that told the Attorney General not to enforce the ban for 75 days. This created the April 5th deadline that has now moved to June 19.

What happens if TikTok is banned in the US?

A TikTok ban would shake up life for 170 million US users in major ways. Users won’t be able to download TikTok from Apple and Google app stores, which blocks new people from joining the platform.

Current users might see their app stop working right away. This happened briefly in January 2025 when people saw a message that read: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now”. The app could also slowly break down without updates, which makes it unstable and possibly unsafe as time goes on.

The money side hits hard, especially when you have content creators who depend on TikTok to make a living. Influencer marketing expert Lissette Calveiro puts it plainly: “TikTok is a big revenue driver for many creators, and if the app is banned, the entire revenue stream will be down”. Small businesses would take a hit too – one candle company’s owner said TikTok brings in 90% to 98% of her sales, either directly or indirectly.

The ban would reach beyond just TikTok. These ByteDance-owned apps would disappear from US app stores:

  • CapCut (video editing)
  • Lemon8 (lifestyle platform)
  • Gauth (AI study companion)
  • Marvel Snap (card game)
  • TikTok Shop Seller Center
  • Hypic (photo editing)

People might try using VPNs to get around the ban, but these didn’t help much during January’s temporary shutdown. This ban worked differently from others worldwide – it blocked US TikTok accounts no matter where they appeared to be.

Advertisers would need to find new homes for $12.34 billion in ad money. Brands and creators could move to other options like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or newer apps like RedNote, which jumped to the top spot in Apple’s US store as TikTok concerns grew.

Conclusion

TikTok won’t face a ban on April 5th, 2025. President Trump has given ByteDance more time by pushing the deadline to June 19th. This move shows how complicated the situation is, with huge economic stakes for both the platform and its 170 million American users.

The platform’s story has seen many deadline changes and legal battles. TikTok has proven incredibly tough despite facing possible shutdowns multiple times since 2020. A short 14-hour ban in January 2025 showed everyone what a full ban might mean for users, creators, and businesses.

A permanent ban would hit way beyond the reach and influence of just losing an app. Content creators who make their living on TikTok would have to switch to other platforms. Small businesses that count on TikTok’s ecosystem might find it hard to keep their customers. On top of that, other ByteDance apps like CapCut and Lemon8 would vanish from American app stores. This would disrupt many users’ simplified processes.

The public stands split on TikTok’s future, with data security worries fueling much of the pushback. The June deadline has everyone watching to see if ByteDance can sell TikTok’s US operations or get another extension. While nobody knows what will happen, TikTok’s place in America balances between national security worries and its huge cultural and economic impact.

FAQs

Q1. Is TikTok going to be banned in the United States?

As of now, TikTok is not being banned in the United States. The most recent deadline for a potential ban has been extended to June 19, 2025, giving ByteDance more time to negotiate a potential sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations.

Q2. What happens if TikTok gets banned?

If TikTok is banned, it would be removed from app stores, preventing new downloads. Existing users might face service interruptions or gradual app degradation. Content creators and businesses relying on TikTok for income would be significantly impacted, and other ByteDance-owned apps would also be affected.

Q3. Can I still use TikTok if it gets banned?

In the event of a ban, existing users might still be able to access the app for some time, but it would likely become unstable and potentially unsafe without updates. Attempts to bypass restrictions using VPNs may not be effective, as U.S. TikTok accounts could be specifically blocked.

Q4. Why is the U.S. government considering banning TikTok?

The main concern driving potential TikTok restrictions is data security. The U.S. government is worried about the possibility of user data collection and influence operations by the Chinese government through the app.

Q5. What alternatives are there if TikTok gets banned?

If TikTok is banned, users and content creators might shift to alternative platforms such as Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or emerging apps like RedNote. Advertisers would need to reallocate their spending to other platforms, which could lead to growth in competing short-form video services.