British content creators have called the potential ban on TikTok in the United States “deeply unfair” and said it could impact people’s incomes.
The future of the short form video app remains uncertain as a ban on the app looms, but the incoming Donald Trump administration has hinted at keeping it online.
Last April, US President Joe Biden signed a law which gave TikTok a deadline of Sunday January 19 to separate its US business from parent firm ByteDance, a China-based company whose control of TikTok is seen as a national security threat by the US government.
The social media giant mounted a last-ditch legal bid to have the ban declared unconstitutional because it violates free speech protections, but on Friday the US Supreme Court rejected TikTok’s appeal and unanimously upheld the law banning the app.
TikTokers in the UK, who create content on social media for a living, have expressed their concerns about how the proposed ban might impact their viewership and incomes.
Aidan Halling, also known by his handle @etherealgames on TikTok, creates comedy skits on gaming for his 30,000 followers, and is worried his income may take a hit as the ban could force him to ditch the app.
“A lot of creators rely on this app for a living, and it’s about to be pulled away from under them,” he told the PA news agency.
“This ban could potentially force me to pivot to different content or stop posting all together.
“While 15% of my followers are American, around 40% of initial video views are from the US.”
He fears a ban could also happen in the UK and is concerned about the “uncertainty of a consistent social media platform”.
Tom Pratt, 23, a TikToker from London who interacts with users online – mainly Americans – by asking them geography trivia, fears the app will struggle to continue if users from the US are banned from using the platform.
British Tiktoker Tom Pratt fears the app will struggle to continue if users from the US are banned from using the platform (Tom Pratt/PA)
“The US as a country is so powerful and big and I don’t think TikTok can keep going if there’s no American users on the app,” said Mr Pratt, who has more than 220,000 followers on TikTok.
“I think it will sadly change over to another app, which I hate, because I absolutely love TikTok.”
A Chinese-owned app known as RedNote in English has seen a spike in new US users in anticipation of a ban, but Mr Pratt is hesitant about jumping platforms over concerns about whether his privacy and data will be protected on the new app.
“(The app) is all in Mandarin, I believe, and there’s a lot of terms which I don’t know what I’m agreeing to,” he explained.
“Whether they’re collecting my data, I don’t know what they get control of. I haven’t downloaded it yet because I don’t know what I’m signing up to.
“It just sounds like everyone is downloading it because they’re panicking about TikTok potentially going down and RedNote becoming the new TikTok, which could happen.”
Meanwhile, TikToker Helena Moody, who produces comedy content taking inspiration from her travels and relationships, has used her platform to express her concerns about the proposed ban and said it feels unjust.
“Influencers are often actors, musicians, comedians and people in the arts,” the London-based creator told PA.
“I work many hours creating comedy content, and because of this I have been able to launch my career as a comedian, securing gigs, press and an income.
“The thought of this disappearing feels deeply unfair.”
Ms Moody, who has more than 91,000 followers on TikTok, described people’s shift towards RedNote as a “direct protest”, adding: “It’ll be interesting to see what happens with it.”
Experts have said the app will not disappear from existing users’ phones once the law takes effect on January 19, but new users will not be able to download it and updates will not be available.