Final steps to ban TikTok in the U.S.: establishing a closed American digital ecosystem amid China’s expansion in the digital space

On December 6, 2024, an appellate court denied TikTok’s request to repeal the US Social Media Ban Act, bringing the ban on Chinese company ByteDance’s product closer to January 2025.

TikTok’s ban is scheduled for January 19, 2025, which coincides with Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025.

This decision will be a strategic response by the United States to China’s growing expansion in the digital space, where social media has become a tool for Beijing’s influence on public opinion, economic processes, and even election campaigns in Western countries.