Anxious about a looming TikTok ban, some American creators look to other platforms

The clock is ticking for American creators who say they are both nervous and frustrated as they prepare for a potential nationwide ban of TikTok next month.

The clock is ticking for American creators who say they are both nervous and frustrated as they prepare for a potential nationwide ban of TikTok next month. 

A bipartisan bill President Joe Biden signed this year requires TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform to an American company or face a ban — which is set to take effect Jan. 19, the day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The Supreme Court said it will take up TikTok’s appeal on Jan. 10.

“So many people have found connection, communities, and people’s livelihoods now have been built from TikTok,” said Jenn Ficarra, a Los Angeles-based writer who used TikTok to help launch a baby-name consulting business as a side hustle. “I’m just really dismayed and annoyed and angry that something that is instrumental to so many people’s livelihoods is being stripped away.”

Lawmakers who pushed for a ban argue that TikTok’s Chinese owner poses a national security threat to the United States. But for many American creators who’ve come to rely on it as their main source of income, losing it would mean scrambling for new ways to sustain their careers and rebuild their personal brands.

In recent weeks, hundreds of TikTok users like Ficcarra have lamented the looming ban, posting videos showcasing their anxiety, anger and grief as they prepare to lose access to it.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tiktok-ban-american-creators-prepare-rcna185158

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