James "Jimmy" Donaldson, known as MrBeast on YouTube, made an offhand comment to X this week, saying he'd buy TikTok so it doesn't get banned.

“Our position on this has been clear: TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership. Given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend a day before inauguration, it will be up to the next administration to implement,” read the statement.

At the time, India was TikTok’s biggest foreign market outside of China, with 200 million users. (For comparison, the U.S. currently has over 170 million TikTok users.) Following military clashes along the disputed border between India and China,

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday, Jan. 17, to uphold a law that would ban the app for the 170 million people who use the app in the U.S. The ruling lines up with decisions other courts have made and sets up the ban to go into effect on Sunday, Jan. 19.

Meta stands to be one of the largest beneficiaries of a TikTok ban in the US, analysts say. Through ad dollars alone, Meta could rake in up to $3.38B.

There are the TikTok creators who fear losing their audiences and have been frantically trying to persuade their fans to follow them on Instagram and YouTube, and the e-commerce brands and drop-shippers that are going to have to find other places to sell their stuff.

With the TikTok ban approaching, users are seeking alternatives. There are three obvious platforms to migrate to: Red Note, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. But do they compare?

As the U.S. TikTok ban proceeds, fans need to find other short-video apps to use. Here are the ones that are most popular right now.

Discover what this means for food trends, cultural innovation, and the future of viral recipes. Learn what’s next.

John O’Sullivan was surrounded by studio lights, a gigantic screen and professional cameras. Producers fiddled with them, giving him just a minute before filming. But a minute is all O’Sullivan needs.

As TikTok nears a U.S. ban, apps like RedNote, Lemon8, and YouTube Shorts are emerging as viable alternatives for creators and followers alike.