This is pretty funny as the TikTok ban went into effect in the United States on Saturday night, so users around the world who still have access have been posting videos about the censorship, with one comparing things to the Thanos Snap.
What happens when U.S. users visit TikTok?
When U.S. users try to access TikTok they get a message that says, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
Regarding the ban, TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, so why it isn’t cool if a Chinese company steals all your personal data, it’s okay if Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram and Facebook, and Google, etc. do — you know, American companies.
Anyway, the message to U.S. users continues, “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!“
What did Trump say about TikTok?
According to the latest update from Trump who gets inaugurated on Monday, Trump told Meet the Press on Saturday, “I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation. If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”
Trump also recently posted on Truth Social a decision will come soon: “The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”
In a previous post, Trump added with mention of TikTok: “I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”
TikTok users survive the Thanos snap
Regarding comparing the TikTok ban to Thanos, in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War, the Great Titan Thanos assembles the Infinity Stones into the Infinity Gauntlet and wipes out half of the universe’s population with a single snap of his fingers. TikTok user “jessbosnjak” posted a 25-second video two hours ago as of 2am EST comparing the ban to the Thanos snap which has gone viral with nearly 10k likes, 1400 comments and 333 shares.
“The Americans are gone,” she says questioning, “Who’s left?“
She continues, “If you’re here, like who’s left? I was on live with my American friend and the her screen went frozen. Like all of a sudden, there were no more Americans in the chat… Who’s here? Comment from where you’re from. Because I need to see if there is a lot of you. If nobody sees… I’m like ‘it’s a Thanos snap.’ We survived the Thanos snap [laughs].“
The top comment on the video with nearly 1200 likes replied with a crying emoji: “just a whole bunch of canadians chilling.“
Another comments adds, “An American with a VPN.“
James Charles, an American TikTok user with nearly 40 million followers also reacted:
James Charles is having a breakdown over the TikTok ban, even says he's rooting for Trump because of it
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 19, 2025
pic.twitter.com/eEBKqghCAw
Can U.S. users still access TikTok?
Reportedly, if Americans have a VPN they can still access TikTok on desktop and such by changing their country to Canada.
Come Monday, maybe Trump will snap TikTok back into existence.
