TikTok Ban Pushed Back Yet Again as Deadline Gets Extended

TikTok users in the United States can breathe easy for a little while longer, as the government has once more postponed its ban on the app. This marks the third delay since talks about shutting down the popular social media platform began.

TikTok first landed in hot water due to security concerns about its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Officials in the United States have long worried that American users' data could be at risk. Back in January, the situation escalated into a formal ban, which surprisingly lasted only a single day before the White House offered TikTok a chance to find an American buyer.

Since then, TikTok has been living on borrowed time. The first 90-day grace period passed without a sale, so the government granted a second extension for the same length of time. Now that the second deadline is nearly up, President Trump has agreed to give the company yet another three-month window to work things out.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that the president does not want TikTok to go offline, hoping instead that a deal with an American firm will eventually happen. But despite all the time given, no buyer has stepped in yet, and with ongoing tariffs against China, it’s hard to see a smooth ending anytime soon.

Even with the uncertainty, TikTok remains hugely popular around the globe, with millions still sharing dances, memes and trending challenges daily. Whether this third delay will be enough to find a solution is anyone’s guess, but for now, TikTok lives to scroll another day.

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash