Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban after issuing new ruling against the platform

The ban that has been looming over TikTok has been confirmed as the US Supreme Court has voted to uphold ban.

The court voted today (January 17), that the social media app will not be available on either Google or Apple's app stores from Sunday (January 19).

TikTok will not be available to download on the app store as of Sunday (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights,” justices wrote.

"The judgment of the United States court of appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is affirmed."

Why is the US banning TikTok?

In April last year, the US Congress passed a bipartisan bill to prohibit TikTok unless it secures a new owner.

A date was later set of January 19, 2025, with the US Justice Department claiming TikTok poses 'a national-security threat of immense depth and scale' due to its parent company ByteDance.

ByteDance hails from China and the growing concern is that the state-run Chinese government could order the company to handover its data on the estimated 170 million American users it has registered.

What's going to happen to TikTok after the ban?

Of course, ByteDance haven't relinquished control of TikTok, so what could that mean for Sunday (January 19)?

If you're in the US and haven't got the app already on your phone, it's unlikely you'll be able to download it as it'll be pulled from stores like Google and Apple under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

For those who have the app prior to the ban, it's expected that it will eventually 'go dark'.

Timothy Edgar, a professor of cybersecurity at Brown University, told CBS: "They will get a notice that says, 'This service is not available in your country.'

News of the ban comes despite protests in Washington DC for the government to keep the social media app (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

"That's most likely what will happen based on what we've seen in other countries that have banned certain platforms.

"This generation may be in for a very rude awakening if the law goes into effect and they find a major social media platform that they came to rely on as creators, or just users, is suddenly not available."

While Qi Liao, a professor of computer and network security at Central Michigan University, also weighed in and suggested that TikTok would eventually become 'obsolete' because, even if you can still access the app, you won't be able to download any updates.

It comes despite President-elect Donald Trump having called on the Supreme Court to delay the ban while he worked on a 'political resolution'.

It is understood that Trump has even invited TikTok CEO Shou Chew to attend his second presidential inauguration - which will take place on Monday (January 20).