The app is widely used by millions for entertainment, but for some, it is a way to make a living.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — TikTok could soon be banned in the United States.
In 2024, Congress passed a law to ban the app, citing national security concerns with the Chinese company, ByteDance, which owns the app.
On Jan. 19, the app will no longer be available to download or update unless the Supreme Court steps in or ByteDance sells the app to a U.S. company.
TikTok has argued the ban would violate free speech and security concerns are overblown.
The app is widely used by millions for entertainment, but for some, it is a way to make a living.
Central Ohio is home to TikTok influencer Ross Smith. He and his 98-year-old grandma, also known as “gangster granny,” have amassed nearly 25 million followers on the app.
“The beautiful thing about social media for me has been getting closer to my family, especially my grandma who lives with me now. We have become best friends and I really do think it has added years to her life having something to look forward to and do every day and making people laugh and smile,” Smith said.
Social media is a full-time job for Smith. Losing TikTok would have a major impact on his business.
“It is not like every other business where you file for bankruptcy or something happens, it is literally a government decision to take it off,” Smith said. “I think America has prided itself on freedom of speech and when you take that away it just feels unconstitutional and it breaks my heart to see the government step in and take away something that has brought so many people financial gain and joy and I just hope it doesn’t go through.”
Smith started out on the app Vine, which shut down in 2017, so he has experienced this kind of setback before.
“It just stinks to have them have the ability to pull the plug and it gives me zero job security on any platform. This would be two I have lost over the years,” he said.
Mitchell Bienvenue is another influencer in central Ohio. He started using the app to post about working on a yacht in Florida, but when he moved back home to Worthington during the pandemic, he began posting content about Columbus and the state of Ohio to his more than 315,000 followers.
“I started filming, going around town in Columbus, all over the state showing what I liked what I did and I started gaining the following I have in Ohio and it has taken off since then,” he said. “To lose that platform and the reach that I have on it, it obviously hurts with being able to connect with businesses and brands I want to work with.”
Bienvenue has also been able to use his platform to highlight central Ohio businesses, and it has even been a boost for his own photography business.
For him, losing the app is not just a blow to his wallet, but also the community he has built on the platform.
“It is all those people who get their entertainment, their laughs, their cries, their highs, their lows, all come from TikTok. It is gonna hurt everybody, honestly I believe so,” he said.
Both Smith and Bienvenue have been working to build platforms on other social media apps, hoping to continue their businesses even without TikTok.
“It is a big one, but it is not the only one and the only way you can reach people,” Bienvenue said.
