MrBeast has shared an update for his followers after declaring he would ‘buy TikTok’ to prevent it from being banned in the US.

Is TikTok really getting banned?

The Chinese company ByteDance has just four days left to sell TikTok or risk getting banned in the US due to allegations that the company is linked to the Chinese government.

Officials and lawmakers in the US have raised concerns that ByteDance has access to the data of approximately 170 million users in the US, putting that data at risk if China asks the company to hand it over.

ByteDance has been described as a ‘national security threat’ (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)

In fact, the US Justice Department has claimed TikTok poses ‘a national-security threat of immense depth and scale’ due to its parent company.

As a result, President Joe Biden signed a law last year which demanded that ByteDance sell, or TikTok would be shut down in the US. The deadline to sell falls on 19 January – just one day before Donald Trump is set to be sworn in as the new president.

ByteDance has responded by claiming the law is ‘unconstitutional’, but they have ruled out the possibility of a sale.

What has MrBeast said about the ban?

As millions of TikTok users express concerns over the loss of TikTok, MrBeast shared what seemed to be a joke tweet about how he’d save it.

On January 14, he posted: “Okay fine, I’ll buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned.”

MrBeast seemed to be joking about buying TikTok (X/@MrBeast)

With a net worth of approximately $1 billion, according to Celebrity Net Worth, the YouTuber has a better chance than most at being able to afford the app; but that doesn’t mean ByteDance would agree to a sale.

Still, MrBeast indicated he was keen to move forward with the idea, as he shared an update on Twitter a few hours after his first post.

He wrote: “Unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can pull this off.”

MrBeast claimed billionaires have reached out to him about the sale (X/@MrBeast)

MrBeast didn’t reveal exactly which billionaires are involved in this apparent venture, but fans were quick to joke about what the content creator might do with the app.

“‘I just bought TikTok and I’m giving it away to one lucky subscriber’,” one Twitter user joked, in reference to some of MrBeast’s viral challenges.

What will happen if TikTok isn’t sold?

If the January 19 deadline comes and goes with no sale and the ban goes into effect, TikTok will no longer be available to download for new users.

Those who already have the app would still be able to access it, however new updates would not be available, meaning the app would likely become unusable over time.

As the ban continues to loom, TikTok users are familiarizing themselves with a new app, RedNote; another short-form video app also from China.

MrBeast has revealed he has an ‘offer ready’ to buy TikTok ahead of its proposed ban in the US later this week.

Time is ticking on whether or not TikTok is to survive in the United States as of Sunday (19 January) this week.

The prohibition on the social media platform comes after Congress passed a bipartisan bill in April last year, approved by President Joe Biden, to sell the app to a new owner or it would be shut down.

Federal officials argued the platform presents a ‘national security threat’ to the country due to its supposed links with China.

MrBeast has an offer (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Prime Video)

Officials allege ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, has access to the data of approximately 170 million users in the US, putting that data at risk if China asks the company to hand it over.

The deadline to sell falls on 19 January – just one day before Donald Trump is set to be sworn in as the new president.

Millions of TikTokers have been protesting the ban, arguing that it would devastate the lucrative creator economy that depends on it – and thousands more have been racing to alternative platforms like RedNote, another short-form video app from China.

MrBeast has been apparently meeting with billionaires to discuss buying the platform (TikTok/mrbeast)

Yet, while the deadline is inching nearer with just three days to go, there is hope yet as famous YouTuber, MrBeast said on Twitter this week: “Okay fine, I’ll buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned.”

With more than 340 million subscribers, the 26-year-old star, whose real name is James Stephen ‘Jimmy’ Donaldson, has the most subscribers of any YouTube channel and is the third-most-followed creator on TikTok.

The host of ‘Beast Games’, he is known for staging elaborate challenges and giving away eye-watering sums of money to strangers.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the YouTuber has a whopping net worth of approximately $1 billion, meaning he has a better chance than most at being able to afford the app, though many people considered his ‘offer’ was a joke.

He apparently has a legal team to help (TikTok/mrbeast)

Hours after his Tweet went viral, he followed up: “Unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can pull this off.”

Now, a suited and booted MrBeast appears to be taking his proposal seriously as he posted an update to TikTok that he actually has an offer prepared and ready to go.

In the 12-second clip, he said: “Just got out of a meeting with a bunch of billionaires, TikTok, we mean business.”

He didn’t reveal much from there, such as who with billions of dollars could be involved in the apparent rescue mission, but the star did seem to have legal counsel.

Pointing to a man with a briefcase in the video, MrBeast continues: “This is my lawyer right here. We have an offer ready for you. We wanna buy the platform.”

Meanwhile, a slideshow from the meeting was still visible in the background, which also read: “How we buy TikTok.”

The potential problem MrBeast could come up against is if ByteDance doesn’t want to sell or won’t agree to any such sale whatsoever.

But the YouTuber pleaded: “America deserves TikTok. Give me a seat at the table.

“Let me save this platform, TikTok.”

He also captioned the video: “TikTok check your inbox.”

His followers were quick to celebrate the development on TikTok, writing: “Save us all MrBeast,” and calling him ‘the GOAT’.

As the clock ticks down to TikTok’s final days in the US, a business litigator has warned Americans against trying to trick the system.

For those that don’t know, US Congress passed a bipartisan bill in April last year to prohibit TikTok from providing its services in America unless its parent company ByteDance, of China, relinquished control over it by January 19, 2025.

When will TikTok be banned in the US?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look likely that TikTok will be sold and so as of Sunday (January 19) the app will be gradually frozen out of society in the US, with it being taken off the app store and updates will cease.

It comes on President Joe Biden‘s last day in office, with the US Justice Department claiming it poses ‘a national-security threat of immense depth and scale’ – due to concerns that the Chinese firm could be forced to hand over data of its approximate 170 million US users to the state.

So we now find ourselves in what could be the demise of TikTok in the US, and with it being by far the most popular app among teens and young adults in the nation, there will be people doing everything they can to find a workaround so they can continue to enjoy the app.

TikTok is just days away from its impending ban in the US (Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Although, the ban won’t mean that the app mysteriously vanishes from your phone, but as I mentioned earlier it will be frozen out.

With so much speculation over what will happen, business litigator Neil Elan, of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, has weighed in on the subject.

Risks of accessing TikTok illegally

Elan, who specializes in high-value intellectual property disputes, told Dexerto: If there is a law saying, ‘You can’t do this,’ and you do this by using a VPN to circumvent the law, then you are in violation of the law.

“There would be a penalty and punishment, likely fines. I wouldn’t recommend using a VPN to get around the law, although I do know that it is common. Whether the lawmakers turn a blind eye or whether it’s strictly enforced is a risk that the user will take.”

Yes, we may just have to say fair well to TikTok in the States (Getty stock)

He continued: “The main concern is national security. If a few people do it, then are large troves of US consumer data being accessed by the Chinese government? Unlikely. But if there’s a growing base that continues to use it with the VPN, and the government knows about it, and those concerns still bloom, then there could be penalties enforced.

“How this plays out remains to be seen. It depends on the law. It depends on whether it will be acquired, and it depends on who has the authority to enforce the law and how many users try to skirt the law by using a VPN, but certainly the use of a VPN to circumvent the law would potentially render the user to fines and penalties.”

So, what will happen to the TikTok app on your phone if it gets banned?

After January 19, if you’re in the US and haven’t got the app already on your phone it’s unlikely you’ll be able to download it as it’ll be pulled from stores like Google and Apple under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

For those who have the app prior to the ban, it’s expected that it will eventually ‘go dark’ as updates won’t be issued anymore – which will cause it to become buggy and unusable.

TikTok users are racing to download a new app, RedNote, ahead of the proposed US TikTok ban.

Time is ticking if one of our favorite social media platforms is to be saved, as the US plans on banning the video app as soon as Sunday (January 19) this week.

In April last year, the US Congress passed a bipartisan bill to prohibit TikTok unless it secures a new owner.

Federal officials argued the platform poses a ‘national security threat’ on an ‘immense depth’ due to its supposed links with China.

The RedNote app has shot to the top spot on the app store (Cheng Xin/Getty Images)

It is feared US users’ data could be being shared unlawfully with the Communist government.

However, TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, refute the allegations and are in the midst of challenging the rule in the Supreme Court by highlighting its First Amendment Rights.

But justices threw out the argument on Friday and appeared to side more favorably with the US government.

Justice Elena Kagan said the law is only targeted at the foreign corporation, ‘which doesn’t have First Amendment rights’, while Chief Justice John Roberts added: “They’re not saying TikTok has to stop. They’re saying the Chinese have to stop controlling TikTok’, reports The Independent.”

President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office in a matter of days on January 20, tried to ban TikTok in 2020, but has since sought to delay it.

Content creators argue banning TikTok could jeopardize their financial security (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Creators, businesses, influencers, and other users of the app have argued that the ban would decimate the lucrative creator economy that depends on it.

But frantic with worry about a TikTok-less future, thousands of US users have stumbled across what could be suitable alternatives if, or rather when, the dreaded dawn comes.

A free Chinese short-form video app called Xiaohongshu, or RedNote in English, has shot to the top of the Apple App store as of Monday, followed by Lemon8, also owned by TikTok and ByteDance, as users look to migrate across.

The app functions as a cross between Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, and has more than 300 million monthly active users, according to The Independent, which still falls below the figures seen on TikTok.

RedNote, based in Shanghai, was founded in 2013 and was valued at $17 billion after raising funds from Chinese investors, with now more than $900 million raised in funding and 2,000 employees, reports CNBC.

The app could be banned as soon as Sunday in the US (Jaque Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

And many TikTokers appear to be a fan of the alternative already.

One Georgian TikToker who goes by the username allieusyaps said: “They’re trying to ban TikTok and that’s ok”, before explaining to his 200,000 followers that ‘we on that RedNote baby’.

“Look, I might not have a job in the next week”, he continued, “but we about to learn Mandarin baby!

“RedNote is already lit. I ain’t never s*** like that. The content they got over there is really different.

“So yeah, the great migration is here.”

Another TikToker, itsjustheavita, said the alternative could be even better for influencers as ‘Chinese brands have more money than American brands’.

“Let’s get our bag y’all. To the Red Note app it is. Goodbye”, she added.