If it feels social media phenomenon TikTok has nine lives, it’s because it essentially does. There have long been rumors and whispers over a potential TikTok ban for not just months, but years, dating back to 2020. Each time, TikTok seems to find a way to stay afloat and remain unbanned in the U.S.—and that includes the events of the past week, the most recent TikTok ban. Here, we get into details regarding the TikTok ban and then unban, and more specifically, how it affects the beloved TikTok shop, with insights from an expert.
An explanation of the 2025 TikTok ban (and unban)
For weeks leading up to it, there were serious rumors, speculation and eventually action taken that would mean TikTok would be banned in the U.S. While we have heard this claim being made before, such as when President Trump in August 2020 issued an executive order that would ban American companies from any “transaction” with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, American users of the app hadn’t actually experienced any effects of a ban until recently, January 2025.
On Jan. 17, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously voted to uphold the bill that would ban TikTok unless it was sold by ByteDance. Late on Jan. 18, 2025, TikTok users began to receive a pop-up message on the app stating, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
This message prevented anyone from being able to scroll on the app, essentially shutting it down for American users. Then, on Jan. 19, 2025, TikTok was able once again to be used by American users, indicating the ban was lifted and/or extended. As of publication, TikTok is still able to be used by American users.
What happens to TikTok now?
This back-and-forth ban and then unban left millions of users confused and created mass chaos. “There was some wiggle room in the original law that allows the President through an Executive Order to delay the ban (which basically means lifting the possibility of fines for the big platforms that run app stores) if the app needed more time to find a buyer,” explains Rita McGrath, Academic Director in Executive Education at Columbia Business School. “Trump has changed his tune on TikTok since his first administration, apparently now that the app is so popular, ubiquitous and has so many of his followers on it. He’s also friendly with the TikTok U.S. CEO Shou Chew, who put in an appearance at the inauguration.”
There’s now the question of if the ban will be back and when. “It’s going to be quite difficult to undo the law through conventional processes because so many members of Congress would have to reverse themselves, so my guess is that there is a behind-the-scenes scramble to figure out how to keep access to the app available,” says McGrath. “In another interesting development, the AI company Perplexity has proposed a merger to keep the app open without taking on the algorithm that controls what people see when they are on the app, the main concern of those who proposed the ban.”
How TikTok Shop could be affected by a ban
TikTok Shop is a major part of the brand in both revenue and user aspects. It seems to constantly have deals, “coupons” and savings available, enticing users to shop through the app. There are thousands of products sold on the app, many of which have gone viral, for a low price, making it appealing to customers.
So, how was TikTok Shop affected by the temporary TikTok ban? It’s not clear what will eventually happen to the app or its shopping platform, but for now, it seems OK to keep using it. “You couldn’t use the shop when the app was banned. Whether the store will still honor purchases made if it is banned again is an open question—hopefully they will ethically do so,” says McGrath. “It’s probably fine for small purchases, but I’d probably avoid buying anything that is a big commitment, which is of course tough on the creators who rely on those income streams (as creators can earn commission from purchases they promote in the app).”
All in all, it’s probably best to limit your use of TikTok Shop until there is a definitive answer on whether TikTok will remain unbanned or not.
