TikTok Officially Stops Working in the United States, Disappears From Apple and Google Play

• Social media platform TikTok stopped working in the USA after the country's congress passed a law banning it
• About 170 million Americans use Tiktok, and President-elect Donald Trump said he may give it a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office
• South Africans called on the government to follow in the US government's steps and shut it down in the country

For seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist, covered current affairs, shedding light on critical social infrastructure challenges and unemployment.

JOHANNESBURG — South Africans called for the government to emulate the United States of America after the USA's ban on TikTok took effect on 18 January 2025.

TikTok officially banned

The USA's congress passed a law banning the short-video format platform, even though 170 million Americans use it. Congress has for years argued that TikTok threatens the US's national security. US officials alleged that the Chinese government mandates organizations to comply with information-gathering, and they warned that TikTok could influence Americans by suppressing or amplifying certain content.

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Will Trump save it?

President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn in on 20 January, said he is working to save the app from being banned and would offer the company a temporary 90-day reprieve from the ban. Other apps by ByteDance, which owns TikTok, including CapCut, have also been removed from US app stores since yesterday.

What you need to know about TikTok's ban

• A South African woman reviewed Rednote, an app considered to be the Chinese version of TikTok
• An American woman claimed that TikTok would not survive without America and received backlash
• Another tikTokker resolved to follow Americans to Rednote after the TikTok ban was effected

South Africans' views on the ban

Netizens on Facebook were happy that the app was banned.

Neo Mokgosi said:

"I wish it could also happen in SA. People have lost focus. They think it's better to have TikTok than to go to school."

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"I think I'll stay that side": Mzansi woman reviews RedNote, China's version of TikTok

Stephen Blessing Madziva said:

"Let them shut here in Africa. There's nakedness everywhere."

C'bo MaGwabini Ka Zwane said;l

"Good news. May it also shut down here."

Umzukulu kamabhokwe alalendlin said:

" Good news. May it also stop working in South Africa."

Goodluck WizBlakk Kamz said:

" Eish, ban it quickly in SA, too. My wife is always busy slaying on TikTok. When I try to stop her, she says I'm jealous."

Cyril Ramaphosa not attending Donald Trump's inauguration

In a related article, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa will not attend the inauguration of the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump. Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool will participate in his place.

South Africans reacted to the news that he would not attend. His spokesperson said no South African president has ever attended the inauguration of a United States president.

Source: Briefly News