With TikTok ban looming, how many Americans support it? Public opinion has changed a lot.

Posted by Admin January 16, 2025 Tech

Update: Supreme Court upholds law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. Read more.

With a potential TikTok ban looming for 170 million users of the app in the United States, it begs the question: How much public support is there for the ban?

Not much.

Between March 2023 and August 2024, support for the ban decreased from 50% to 32% of Americans, according to a Pew Research Center poll released in September. Pew told USA TODAY on Wednesday that it’s the most recent data available.

During the same time period, Americans who reported opposing the ban went up from 22% to 28%. A change.org petition named “Keep TikTok − Protect National Security Without Sacrificing Opportunity,” has gained more than 120,000 signatures since being posted in December.

One way for TikTok to be saved at the 11th hour comes in the form of the U.S. Supreme Court. The court is deciding the fate of the ban, with experts saying SCOTUS is likely to uphold it. The court hadn’t issued a ruling by late Wednesday.

Decreasing popular support

According to the Pew Research Center, about 50% of Americans surveyed supported a ban on TikTok while 22% opposed it in March 2023.

The poll also showed that support for the ban dropped among both major political parties. In March 2023, 60% of Republicans and 43% of Democrats supported the ban. By the fall, just 42% of Republicans and 24% of Democrats supported it.

So what’s the deal with TikTok?

TikTok and its China-based parent company ByteDance are attempting to block a law signed by President Joe Biden that will ban the video app beginning Jan. 19, unless it sells its U.S. operation due to national security concerns.

The social media giant has requested that the Supreme Court pause the ban during the legal process, and while the justices heard arguments last week, a decision has yet to be announced. If the ban takes effect on Sunday, Apple and Google will no longer be able to offer TikTok for downloads for new users, but existing users will still be able to access the app.

The U.S. government and TikTok agree that the app would degrade and eventually become unusable over time because companies would not be able to offer support services.

(This story has been updated with new information.)

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.