Distraught influencers shared their heartbreak as the Supreme Court allowed a ban on TikTok to go into effect in a bombshell ruling on Friday.
Social media users who rely on the Chinese-based platform for their followings shared clips of them crying and screaming at lawmakers for the move, amid fears the app serves as an avenue for CCP-backed data scraping and poses national security risks.
In a video uploaded minutes after the Supreme Court’s decision was revealed, TikTok influencer Madilynn Cameron slated the loss of the app to her 1.1 million followers.
‘Well, the Supreme Court kept the ban,’ she said. ‘This is not how I saw today going, I had a little bit of faith in our broken government system.
‘Our government has failed us… I’m so frustrated I can’t even speak.’
Hours before the decision was announced, makeup influencer Kylie Park shared a clip of herself in floods of tears at the prospect of losing the platform, and berated followers telling her to get a ‘real job.’
‘It just truly hit me tonight that TikTok could be gone,’ she said through tears.
‘I know some of you guys can’t relate and don’t understand, you think like ‘You guys have gotta get a 9-5 job’ – let me tell you right now, social media, TikTok, content creation is a real full-time job.’
Park, who has almost a million followers, said her fears over losing the platform ‘aren’t about the money’, and said she was upset at losing her ‘safe space.’
‘This is my safe space, it truly is, I come to TikTok anytime I’m having anxiety, anytime I need a break from anything,’ she said.
Cruise ship singer Emily Senn shared a weeping video to her 350,000 followers saying she would ‘never forgive’ the US government for allowing TikTok to be banned.
‘I’m never going to trust you ever again, because just like that you took away millions of people’s income and livelihoods,’ she said.
With the fate of the platform now resting on an intervention from incoming President Donald Trump, Senn said she is ‘starting to give up hope there’s gonna be a Hail Mary moment at the end of this.’
The court issued its decision on Friday after TikTok argued a law banning the popular video streaming app violated users First Amendment rights.
‘We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights,’ the country’s highest court wrote in its decision, which reaffirming an appeals court ruling.
Earlier this year, Congress passed a law banning TikTok unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells its stakes by January 19, 2025.
But after months, no deal materialized.
Some 170 million Americans use the video app, and some warned that banning the app would disrupt the business and livelihoods of millions.
Despite the ban set to go into effect on Sunday, Biden signaled he would not enforce it leaving it to President-elect Trump who takes office Monday.
During his first term, Trump raised concern that TikTok was a threat, but he has since changed his tune and asked the Supreme Court to delay enforcing the ban.
Last month, Trump met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi at his Mar-a-Lago estate and signaled he wanted to stop the ban.
‘I have a little bit of a warm spot in my heart I’ll be honest,’ Trump said of the video streaming app. He credits the app for helping him make gains with young people in the election.
The CEO of TikTok will be in attendance for Trump’s inauguration on Monday.