The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a law effectively subjecting TikTok to a national ban on Sunday. The massively popular social media platform that is used by roughly half the country will be shut down, unless there's an 11th-hour lifeline from President-elect Donald Trump, who has said he can reach a deal to rescue the app. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to TikTok creators and asked how they're feeling about the Supreme Court's decision.
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00:00The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a law effectively subjecting TikTok to a national ban Sunday,
00:05and TikTok creators are sharing their reactions.
00:10The massively popular social media platform that is used by roughly half the country will
00:14be shut down, unless there's an 11th-hour lifeline from President-elect Donald Trump,
00:19who has said he can reach a deal to rescue the app.
00:21In a ruling issued Friday, the justices concluded that the law isn't in direct conflict with
00:26the First Amendment because it's aimed at TikTok's ownership.
00:29The law directs ByteDance, the app's parent company, to sell TikTok by January 19th.
00:34If not, web hosting services and mobile app stores will be barred from carrying TikTok.
00:38The Hollywood Reporter spoke to TikTok creators and asked how they're feeling about the Supreme
00:42Court's decision.
00:43They're really officially banning TikTok.
00:48I am speechless.
00:50I could cry right now, but I'm both keeping it together.
00:54Yeah, shock is how I feel.
00:56Unfortunately, I think it was expected, but I don't think it's fair.
01:02I don't think it's a fair interpretation of the Constitution.
01:05I think the TikTok ban is a violation of free speech.
01:08It just feels really frustrating because I feel like over the past couple weeks especially,
01:13there have been so many people, creators, fans of creators, voicing their opinions on
01:18this and trying to make sure that the app stays in the U.S.
01:22So it's frustrating because it feels like they're just not listening to the creators
01:27and the fans of creators, and people are just putting in so much effort.
01:31So yeah, it's sad, but still trying to remain hopeful.
01:35The CEO of TikTok, Shou Chu, gave users some hope when he shared a video in response to
01:40the Supreme Court's decision on Friday.
01:42I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps
01:47TikTok available in the United States.
01:50This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.
01:54He ended the video like this.
01:56Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives as your
02:02online home for limitless creativity and discovery, as well as a source of inspiration and joy
02:08for years to come.
02:09A ban would disrupt the income streams of hundreds of thousands of creators.
02:14Some spoke to THR about how the ban will affect them.
02:17This is going to affect our bottom line because TikTok is our biggest following.
02:20We have almost half a million and that's a big deal.
02:23We've built a community on that platform and now you're taking that away and we're just
02:27relying on YouTube and Instagram and Snapchat as our full number.
02:32And when you lose half a million of anything, it's going to make a big dent in your business.
02:36It's going to hurt me financially.
02:40It was a part-time job for me, but it helped me make ends meet and be able to save money.
02:46So I will definitely be hurting, unfortunately.
02:49But again, with all of the thousands of people, it's hard to just think of myself.
02:53There are like single moms that were using it.
02:56So it's just really sad all around.
02:58As for how those who financially relied on TikTok can move forward, social media experts,
03:03as well as some creators themselves, stress the importance of diversifying your revenue
03:07streams.
03:08It doesn't matter if you have a business that relies on TikTok or not.
03:11If you are a business owner and 50 or 80 percent of your revenue is coming from one
03:16single source, you need to diversify and think of other ways.
03:20Go to YouTube and go to Facebook because those are the two highest paying platforms.
03:26The best thing that you can do if you're a creator right now is to own your own platforms.
03:30I started off as a blogger, so I know it best.
03:32Have your own website, have your own email list, have your own text message list.
03:36For the latest updates on the TikTok ban, go to THR.com.
03:40For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.