SAN ANTONIO – TikTok is set to be banned in the United States on Jan. 19.
The U.S. Supreme Court is upholding a congressional nationwide ban on the app that would impact more than 170 million users, including some from San Antonio.
It is a countdown that some users on the app have very strong feelings about while others are simply using this as an opportunity to switch to another Chinese-owned app called Red Note.
Red Note’s parent company, Xiaohongshu, offers the app entirely in Mandarin, including its terms and features. However, American users are making a seamless transition to the app and are hopeful it will remain similar to TikTok.
“I don’t support it,” college student Anthony Moreno said. “I don’t support it one bit.”
Kaylee Baker, a San Antonio TikTok creator, shares local coffee shops she finds with her South Texas TikTok community.
Baker said she has been able to make money from the app, but it is not her primary job, so she isn’t losing her main source of income.
“TikTok is an extremely effective way to organically reach San Antonio residents,” Baker said. “I plan to start posting more San Antonio content over on my Instagram and YouTube channel, but unfortunately, (the) majority of my business opportunities come from TikTok.”
While Baker is moving to Instagram and YouTube, others are using apps like Lemon8, which has functions similar to those of Pinterest and Instagram.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, also owns Lemon8 and CapCut, another popular app in the U.S.
TikTok is set to be inaccessible on Jan. 19, but a presidential executive order could delay the ban.
President Biden has no plans to step in, but President-elect Trump has hinted that people should “stay tuned” to his decision as he’s sworn in the day after the app is expected to go dark in the United States.
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