That’s the big question hanging over creators and small business owners, leaving many in a state of anxious uncertainty. The Supreme Court is set to decide on January 10 whether TikTok will have to sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a potential U.S. ban.
At the heart of the case is whether a law that forces TikTok to break from ByteDance violates the First Amendment—a claim TikTok and its creator community are strongly backing. The U.S. government, on the other hand, sees the platform as a national security threat and argues that the law is constitutional.
For TikTok creators, this isn’t the first time they’ve faced the looming possibility of a ban. Back when President Trump first tried to ban the app through an executive order, the platform was already in jeopardy. However, the threat has never felt as immediate as it does now, with the Supreme Court about to have the final say.
If the government wins, as it did in lower courts, TikTok has said it will shut down its U.S. operations by January 19, leaving creators to figure out what’s next.
