LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A law that requires TikTok to find a new owner or face a ban is scheduled to go into effect on Sunday and there is little indication the company is set to pull off a sale before then.
The Supreme Court upheld the law, bringing the ban one step closer. That means 170 million Americans could lose access to the platform.
Content creators like Joe Samaan, who has over two million followers, will be impacted and is reacting to the news.
Samaan has created a name for himself through the TikTok app. He says the ban going into effect Sunday will not only hurt content creators and influencers but those who have used the platform to build their brand or business.
"It's going to hurt," explains Samaan. "It's going to hurt a lot of people in America. You know, a lot of people built communities on TikTok. You know people help their small businesses, even one like this. You know it helped a lot of people. I think they rushed it again."
His uncle's shop, "Joe's Mini Food Mart" off Loudon Avenue in Lexington, has become the backdrop of many of his videos.
Joe says he will continue posting to other platforms.
"So luckily I grew my other platforms, but I don't have as many followers as I do on TikTok, but TikTok paid the best and I think that is why people liked it," says Samaan.
Joe hopes the app will be bought, or the ban will be lifted, but has this message for lawmakers:
"I think they should be more optimistic and actually think about the people because that is who they represent at the end of the day," says Samaan.
