Supreme Court Weighs TikTok’s Future as Alternatives Rise

The U.S. Supreme Court could decide on TikTok’s future as soon as Wednesday according to Forbes. The justices seemed to lean toward supporting a federal law that could ban TikTok unless it separates from its parent company, ByteDance, during a hearing on January 10. The court questioned TikTok’s challenge to the policy.

At the heart of the case is whether the law, which forces TikTok to cut ties with ByteDance or face a ban, goes against the First Amendment. TikTok and its creators argue that the ban would violate free speech by cutting off communication on the platform. The government, however, says the ban is necessary for national security due to ByteDance’s Chinese ownership.

According to Bloomberg, Chinese officials are considering a possible option where Elon Musk might acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations if the app can’t avoid the ban.

The court has not said when it will make a final ruling, but opinions in pending cases will be released on Wednesday, possibly including the decision about TikTok.

Meanwhile, people who are worried about the ban are turning to alternatives. One app, Xiaohongshu, which is popular in China but little known in the U.S., has been rising in popularity. The app, which means “little red book” in Mandarin, was the most downloaded free app on the U.S. Apple store this week, according to The New York Times. Xiaohongshu, with over 300 million users, lets people share short videos and posts. Despite its name’s connection to Mao Zedong’s writings, many Americans are trying the app, calling it "Red Note."

Another app by ByteDance, Lemon8, has also gained attention. It’s now the second most downloaded app in the Apple App Store. Lemon8 combines features from several other social media platforms. Users can upload photos like on Instagram, post videos like TikTok, and interact with different types of content like Pinterest. In the lead-up to the potential TikTok ban, TikTok has been advertising Lemon8, encouraging users to download it.

The law that could ban TikTok also affects ByteDance’s other apps, which means Lemon8 could be banned as well, according to NBC. If TikTok is forced to separate from ByteDance, it could have a bigger impact on the future of other ByteDance apps in the U.S.