Giant social media app TikTok could be banned in the US if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it within a week. At the time of writing, the app remains active in the United States.

Following decisions by Congress and the Supreme Court, the Chinese company ByteDance has until January 19 to sell TikTok. If this fails, there is a risk of a nationwide ban – despite 170 million US users.

President-elect Donald Trump has asked the court to delay its decision while he seeks a “political” solution. However, his second term in office only begins one day after the ban is scheduled to come into force.

In April 2024, Congress passed a bill giving ByteDance nine months to find a U.S.-approved buyer. The bill was signed by President Joe Biden.

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Lawmakers and officials say the company has ties to the Chinese Communist Party, raising concerns that it could be forced to hand over data about American users to Beijing. The Justice Department has stated that TikTok poses “a threat to national security of immense depth and scope.”

TikTok and ByteDance have firmly rejected the allegations. Both have filed multiple legal challenges against the bill, saying it is “unconstitutional” because of the impact it would have on the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court on Friday heard a final plea from TikTok’s lawyers demanding that the ban be lifted. The owners said even a temporary ban would have a “devastating impact” on their business.

Trump could seek to lift the ban as soon as he takes office, meaning it could potentially be short-lived. Although he himself tried to ban the app during his first presidency in 2020, he has now asked the Supreme Court to postpone the impending ban.

His lawyer has filed a legal brief saying that Mr. Trump “opposes a ban on TikTok” and is seeking a solution “through political means once he takes office.” The president-elect also met with TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew in December.

However, he will not take office until January 20th, while the app is scheduled to be banned on January 19th. A lawyer representing TikTok said if the law wasn’t suddenly changed by then, the app would simply “disappear” for its millions of U.S. users.