Ottawa TikTokers react to possible social media app ban in U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a law banning TikTok. CTV’s Kimberley Johnson has more about how this could affect Canadian content creators.

Canadian TikTokers are closely watching what will happen to the popular app in the U.S. after the Supreme Court ruled a ban on TikTok can go ahead if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell the app before Sunday.

While the ban only applies to the U.S. based app, users are waiting to see if Canada follows suit and TikTokers are also waiting to see how it directly affects their bottom line.

Spencerville, Ont., creator Robert E Blackmon has 1.9 million followers.

A video he made recently on the “funeral” of the social media app recently got more than 600,000 views alone.

“I’m trying to take a tongue in cheek viewpoint to something that actually gets me pretty choked up that this could go away,” he says.

He explains that with 170 million Americans on the app, it would affect Canadian creators' brand deals, which is how they make money.

“If the U.S. people can’t see my content, then I can’t sell products,” he explains. “If I am working for a company selling to a U.S. market and the U.S. market can’t see it, that devastates my business with that company.”

He says he has a presence on other sites like YouTube, so he feels confident he can weather a possible ban, but the average TikToker will have a harder time.

“This will devastate them,” he explains. “People have been able to change their lives because of this - they’ve been able to pay off debt, they’ve been able to buy homes.”

Still, other TikTokers like Haley Robinson, known as @og.robinson on TikTok, says it won’t be a loss for her. She says she’s started using other platforms far more often.

“For myself, I’ve already moved away from TikTok,” she told CTV News Ottawa.

Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump has opposed a TikTok ban, which means the decision could be reversed. On Friday, he said he will be making a decision “in the coming days.”

Many users, like Amy Bourne, told CTV News Ottawa they would be sorry to see it go.

“I think it’s a great platform (for) freedom of speech,” she explains. “A lot of information can get around and a lot of people can connect throughout the globe.”