The TikTok ban has got everyone talking…

From influencers crying in their videos to people reactivating their YouTube accounts, the TikTok ban sparked some pretty wild scenes last week.

Because unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you’ll have heard about the app being banned in the US.

TikTok has over 170 million users in the US alone, and gained popularity during Covid times.

It first started as a dancing and lip-syncing entertainment app, but it now has over 1.04billion monthly active users and has become an incredible search engine tool, whether you’re looking for date day ideas or picnic spots.

On Saturday, January 18, the popular video app was banned in the United States and was immediately unavailable on Apple and Google app stores, and people were quickly logged out of their accounts.

A mere 12 hours later, US creators began reappearing on screens and the app was available again. The decision is now set to be paused for 90-days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order.

The app has already been completely banned in other countries around the world such as India, Nepal, Iran and Jordan. In many countries it has also been banned on government devices such as the UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland.

So a big question for people living in the UAE is: could we be next?

Well, there’s some good news and bad news.

The good is there are no signs the UAE will follow in the footsteps of the US and also ban TikTok.

TikTok was banned in the US because of tense relations with the app’s native country, China, and there is nothing to suggest international relations with the UAE could lead to the same outcome.

However, UAE creators are now beginning to worry if it will affect them as it’s possible that their reach and engagement could be affected if a high percentage of creators’ followers are US-based.

Many creators and businesses have found success through TikTok and are understandably worried about how the ban will now affect them.

Khaleej Times have reported how many businesses in the UAE rely on the app for advertising, which will directly impact people, businesses and start-ups if targeting US markets.

So while the extension comes as welcome news, anyone using the app would be well-advised to watch this space.

For now though, follow the What’s On TikTok account here…

Images: archive