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Survey: How do TikTok users feel after ban delayed?

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TikTok
More than a third (36%) of TikTok users said they did not believe the ban would stay enforced.

With TikTok remaining online in the United States (at least for now), new data shows more than a quarter of adults use the platform, and more than half would be upset if a ban goes through.

A new survey of over 9,000 consumers from Numerator reveals that 77% of U.S. adults currently use Facebook, 54% use YouTube, 52% use Instagram, 32% use Pinterest, and 27% use TikTok. Among 18+ year-old households, current TikTok usage has dropped four points compared to last year (27% in January 2025 vs. 31% in May 2024).

On Jan. 20, 2025, shortly following his return to office as president, Donald Trump signed an executive order repealing a ban that had briefly gone into effect on TikTok in the U.S. for a 75-day review period. At the time of the survey, 36% of TikTok users said they did not believe the ban would stay enforced, 28% believed the Trump administration would reverse the ban, and only 11% said the ban made sense. More than half (53%) said they would be somewhat/very upset if the ban is enacted.

[READ MORE: Trump pauses TikTok ban]

TikTok users surveyed by Numerator said if the app is banned, they will miss the short-form video format nature of the app (25%), the community and trends (17%), and TikTok Shop (17%), which more than half (55%) of TikTok users have made a purchase from.

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In response to TikTok’s potential ban, some users migrated to the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu (RedNote), garnering over 8% of TikTok users. Twenty percent of Gen Z TikTok users said they would/have used the app as a replacement for TikTok, followed by 12% of millennials, 6% of Gen X and 4% boomers. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of those using Xiaohongshu told Numerator they would be somewhat/very likely to continue using the app.

However, if banned, TikTok users plan to stick to American platforms. Consumers surveyed said they would have/already moved to Instagram (44%), Facebook (41%), YouTube (35%), Snapchat (17%) and Pinterest (13%).

President Trump’s executive action followed a 9-0 ruling released Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 by the U.S. Supreme Court saying the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would go into effect as scheduled on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, making it unlawful for U.S. companies to distribute, maintain, or update TikTok unless U. S. operation of the Chinese-owned platform is severed from Chinese control.

In response to that ruling, the TikTok app briefly went dark in the U.S. from late evening ET Saturday, Jan. 18 to roughly noon ET Sunday, Jan. 19. U.S. service was then restored, with the app posting a message announcing its return on the official TikTok Policy X (social media network formerly known as Twitter) account.

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