What's life post TikTok ban? Here's what US should learn from India
World | India News | Trending | TikTok's popularity in the US has surged, with over million users engaging on the platform, making it a significant player in the social media landscape today.
TikTok, a social media platform that gained massive attention post-2017, especially by Gen Z, is on the verge of being banned in the United States. The decision that is on the table of the US Supreme Court can come as soon as January 19.
It all started in April 2024 when US President Joe Biden signed a law that gave the social media platform two options - either transfer the ownership from China to the US or face a total ban in the country. The decision was backed by the fear of content manipulation and access to user data by Xi Jinping's government.
Currently, over 170 million people in the US are on TikTok, as per ABC News.
With high chances of getting banned, US users of the platform are asking what lies ahead for them.
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As the news of the potential ban emerged, people started shifting to some alternate platforms, such as RedNote, a Chinese short-video app. The platform is gaining popularity among Americans.
India went through the same uncertainty in 2020 when the central government banned the Chinese app, unexpectedly and overnight, after it was found TikTok was posing a threat to users' sensitive data. At that time, around 200 million Indians were using the platform.
The ban came during a border conflict between India and China due to which 59 other apps of Chinese origin were also banned simultaneously in India.
The sudden change led to users making a drastic shift to other platforms available at that time such as Instagram reels and YouTube launched its shorts at the same time.
In 2020, Instagram had 1.43 million Indian users, which grew to over 230 million people in 2024. In 2025, Instagram is estimated to have around 385.4 million users in India.
The sudden shift by Indian users made creators, audiences and brands rethink their strategies and content consumption. It further gave a boost to YouTube shorts and Instagram reels along with some local platforms.
(With inputs from agencies)
