TikTok in the U.S.: What We Know & What It Means For Your Buffer Account

Uncertainty is an understatement when it comes to TikTok's future in the United States.

After users in the U.S. were unable to log in to TikTok the day the TikTok ban took effect, TikTok restored its service the following day. After which, the White House issued an executive order on January 20th, 2025, granting a 75-day extension to delay enforcement of the TikTok ban and pursue a deal involving a U.S. ownership stake in ByteDance, TikTok's parent company. The 75-day extension will give ByteDance until April 4th, 2025 – when the extension is set to expire – to divest ownership of the company.

The legal situation between TikTok and the U.S. is still unfolding. As it stands, TikTok is available in the U.S., and Buffer users with TikTok connected to their accounts should be able to post as usual. If that is not the case, please reach out to our team. 

Several legal factors are in play, so we expect this situation to evolve over the coming weeks. We will continue to update this blog post and inform Buffer users of any changes that may impact their Buffer accounts. 

The TikTok ban and your social media strategy

If you work in social media, it’s nothing new to adapt and change your strategy based on the ever-changing algorithms and the rise and fall of social networks. (Who else was on Vine? 🙋🏻‍♀️) But, of course, we wish you didn’t have to.

TikTok has become one of the most widely used social media platforms, with over 170 million users in the U.S. alone, and is credited with impacting trends and cultural shifts.

Though the TikTok ban is expected to be temporary, it's a great time to consider expanding and diversifying your social media strategy.

The good news is that you've already done most of the work if you've been consistently creating video content for TikTok — our data shows that video is far and away the best type of content on all social media platforms for reach and engagement.

Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are the most similar to TikTok, and Facebook Reels is also a promising channel to explore. LinkedIn, too, is expanding its video features, so you may want to look there as well if it makes sense for your target audience.

TikTok being unavailable in the U.S is also an unfriendly reminder of the importance of growing an audience on the platforms and services you have more control over. It’s a good time to keep your website up to date, get set up with a link-in-bio tool, and ensure you’re leveraging your newsletter to its fullest potential.

This situation is still in flux, and we don't know what the outcome will be. For now, the best thing to do is stay informed. We’ll keep this blog post updated as we learn more.