“Unfortunately, TikTok will be forced to close on January 19″, the popular platform announced on X last Friday night. The White House declined to comment on the announcement.

TikTok has been fighting for months against a law passed by Congress in March 2024 that requires the platform’s parent company ByteDance to sell its assets in the US by 19 January 2025 or else suspend its operations in the country.

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed TikTok’s appeal, which had asked it to block the enforcement of the legislation.

“There is no question that for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers an important way to express, interact and integrate into a community,” the nine Supreme Court justices said in their unanimous decision.

“But Congress has determined that a ban is necessary to address its well-founded national security concerns,” they added.

The federal ban, which goes into effect on January 19, stipulates that new users will be prohibited from downloading the TikTok app from Apple or Google’s online stores.

However, existing users will still have access to it, although the services provided to them are expected to be gradually limited and eventually stopped as other companies will be banned from supporting TikTok.

The White House estimated that “implementation of the law is up to the next administration, which takes office on Monday,” according to spokeswoman Carine Jean-Pierre.

The U.S. Justice Department, on the other hand, noted on Friday that it would take time to implement the law, raising questions about its short-term impact.

TikTok, however, assessed that these announcements “did not provide the necessary clarity and reassurance to service providers who play an integral role in keeping TikTok available to more than 170 million Americans.”

Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants the platform to continue to be available in the US and has even gone to the Supreme Court with this request, but to no avail.

Yesterday he stressed that he “respects” the Supreme Court’s decision, but added that he “needs time” to “make a decision on TikTok” promising that this will happen“in the not too distant future. But I should have the time to look into the situation. Stand by!”

The Republican, who is being sworn in as US president on Monday, noted that he raised the TikTok issue in a phone call yesterday with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Besides, the platform’s chief Su Chu is among the guests at Trump’s inauguration.

“I thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that will allow TikTok to remain available in the US, said Su Chu in a video posted on the platform yesterday.

“We will put in place measures to prevent TikTok from being shut down”in the US, Republican Congressman Mike Walsh whom Trump has chosen as his national security adviser, assured Fox News on Thursday.