UPDATE: TikTok says it’s “in the process” of restoring service to users in the United States, according to the Associated Press. Some users reported that the app was working, and TikTok’s website appeared to be functioning for at least some users. However, the app remains unavailable for download on Apple’s app store.
Millions of TikTok users were greeted with a notice on their TikTok 'For You Page' Saturday night as an effective "blackout" of the app took place across the country, following a law passed and upheld by the Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The notice has a headline that reads "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now," with the accompaning message to users:
"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!"
TikTok was also removed from many app stores, including the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
The ban on TikTok has been impending since July 2020, when then-President Donald Trump first considered banning the app as “retaliation for China’s alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the AP.
RELATED: United States Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban, Ball State students react
The federal law banning TikTok would allow the sitting president to extend Sunday’s deadline by 90 days if a sale is in progress. But no clear buyers have emerged, and ByteDance previously said it would not sell TikTok, according to the AP.
President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday that he plans to issue an executive order to give TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance more time to find an approved buyer, according to the AP.
On Truth Socials, Trump said his order would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” and “confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order."
Trump is currently set to be inaugurated into office on Monday, Jan. 20.
Student react to TikTok "going dark"
The morning of Jan. 19, many students on Ball State’s campus reacted to the ban’s inevitable reality.
“I was on [the app] all the time. I think [the ban] is absolutely outrageous,” first-year exercise science major Tim Popovitz, explaining his inability to now scroll through the app before bed as a routine stress reliever.
RELATED: TikTok to "go dark" this weekend; Student content creators on the app react
Jonah Primus, a first-year business major is friends with Popovitz. Though Primus is not active on the app as frequently as Popovitz, "It kinda sucks still not having [TiKTok]," he said.
Jordanna Phillis, a first-year phycology major said she is Canadian, so while the ban does not directly affect her because of her phone plan, it still “sucks,” because she can no longer use the social media platform to communicate with many of her friends, like fellow first-year student, Viv Cumpuzan, who said the ban worries her because other social media platforms could have a similar fate as TikTok.
“I think it's the start of a lot of bad things possibly happening,” Cumpuzan said.
Contact the Daily News via email at editor@bsudailynews.com.
The Daily News welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.