TikTok reveals when it'll shut down app for Americans... here's what it means for you
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TikTok is threatening to shut down its app for US users this Sunday if a federal ban goes into effect, sources have revealed. Sunday is the deadline for the TikTok's parent company, Bytedance, to sell its US assets or be pulled from US app stores due to concerns over the app's links to the communist Chinese government.
![[Khaby Lame attends the UK Premiere of 'Oppenheimer' at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on July 13, 2023. Lame is the most followed person in the world on TikTok with more than 162million followers]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/17/94130557-14288585-image-m-11_1736961661247.jpg)
Under that ban, Americans would still be able to use the app but new downloads would be blocked and its software would slowly degrade over time due to a lack of updates. However, TikTok insiders have said they are prepared to shut the entire app down to all 150million of its American users in protest if the ban is upheld.
![[Mr. Beast is seen in attendance during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. Mr. Beast, real name James Donaldson, is the third most followed person on TikTok with more than 106million followers]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/17/94130555-14288585-image-a-9_1736961652022.jpg)
Under the shutdown, people attempting to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban, sources told Reuters. The company also plans to give users an option to download all their data so that they can take a record of their personal information, they said.
![[TikTok plans to shut its app for US users Sunday, when a federal ban on the social media app could come into effect, inside sources have told Reuters]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/16/94128565-14288585-image-a-1_1736958811614.jpg)
Shutting down such services does not require longer planning, one source said, noting that most operations have been continuing as usual as of this week. If the ban gets reversed later, TikTok would be able to restore service for US users in a relatively short time, the source said.
Charli D'Amelio has the second largest following on the platform. The 20-year-old influencer from Norwalk, Connecticut, has more than 155million followers (at Swarovski in NYC on December 9). Khaby Lame attends the UK Premiere of 'Oppenheimer' at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on July 13, 2023. Lame is the most followed person in the world on TikTok with more than 162million followers.
