TikTok is facing one Possible ban in the USA later this month, when a law takes effect as planned on January 19 that could require the social media app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to divest from the platform.

Specifically, the law would apply to protect Americans from applications controlled by foreign adversaries make it illegal for Google or Apple app stores and web hosting services to distribute or serve TikTok. If ByteDance had initiated the process to sell TikTok, the president could also place a 90-day pause on passing the law.

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Jan. 11 from government lawyers who say TikTok poses a threat to U.S. national security and from lawyers for the social media platform. Experts said judges appeared receptive to the government’s case, increasing the likelihood of a ban. Here’s what that would mean for TikTok users in the US

Would I be able to use TikTok after the ban?

If the law goes into effect on January 19th, people in the US who have not already downloaded the TikTok app would no longer be able to access it. It will no longer be available for download in app stores, including Apple’s and Google’s.

For TikTok users who already have the short video app on their devices, it remains to be seen what will happen to the app. In one scenario, it goes dark and users receive a notification that it is down or unavailable to them.

“You will receive a notification saying, ‘This service is not available in your country. That’s most likely going to happen based on what we’ve seen in other countries where certain platforms are banned,” Timothy Edgar, a professor of cybersecurity at Brown University, told CBS MoneyWatch. “This generation could be in for a rude awakening if the law goes into effect and they find that an important social media platform they once relied on as a creator or simply as a user is suddenly no longer available.”

While such an action would be unprecedented in the US, users of banned apps in other countries have had this experience, added Edgar, who believes it is most likely in the US

Other cybersecurity experts say TikTok may not become inaccessible overnight, but that the user experience in the US will deteriorate over time.

“If you already have TikTok on your phone, you can continue to use it, but over time you will stop receiving updates, so the app will become outdated,” Qi Liao, a professor of computer and network security at Central Michigan University, told CBS MoneyWatch. “Various issues may arise because TikTok may introduce new features or security patches and the app will experience slow performance and security issues in the US. Therefore, TikTok users will likely stop using the vulnerable version at some point.”

Could I access TikTok using a VPN?

Edgar points out that the new law does not target users, meaning that even if the ban goes into effect, it would not be illegal for people to have TikTok on their phones or attempt to access the platform.

In fact, US-based users could likely get around the ban by accessing TikTok through a virtual private network. VPNs provide privacy and can make it appear to ISPs that U.S.-based computers are located outside the country.

Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit focused on digital rights, told CBS MoneyWatch that TikTok users in the U.S. would likely be able to get around the ban via VPN, although that approach poses risks.

“It would probably work well,” she said, while warning that “many free VPNs make money by selling user data.”

Galperin added that some free VPN service providers are known to install malware on users’ devices. “So I would advise people to be very careful when choosing a VPN,” she said.

Meanwhile, Edgar warned that setting up more complex VPNs requires time, money and effort.

“Americans aren’t used to doing this because we haven’t seen our government filtering the Internet yet,” he said.

What TikTok alternatives are there?

Users looking for a TikTok replacement app have alternatives like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

“People want short-form video content and they will continue to find ways to get it,” Edgar said.

Another replacement is Lemon8, a social media app from ByteDance that launched in 2020. But experts point out that it could be subject to the same law that threatens to ban TikTok in the US