The Blubber

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a bill mandating the separation of TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Failure to sell TikTok could result in a U.S. ban for the app. The bill, passed by the Senate on Tuesday, was part of a larger package providing aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.

“TikTok enables small businesses and creators to connect with their community,” Nichols told CNBC before the bill was signed. “It gives everyone the chance to provide for their family in a way they may never have before. It has changed people’s lives.”

Although TikTok has vowed to challenge any ban in court, a ban could still take years, creating significant uncertainty.

According to an Oxford Economics study commissioned by TikTok, small and medium-sized businesses on the platform supported 224,000 jobs in 2023. These businesses generated nearly $15 billion in revenue and contributed $24.2 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product in 2023.

Nichols, along with other TikTok creators, traveled to the Capitol to protest the potential ban. She wanted to highlight how she conducts her business using the app and express her opposition to the ban. Nichols clarified that TikTok did not request her participation in the protest.

“You’re taking away our First Amendment rights,” Nichols said. “People don’t understand. This is a community. It’s a family. Whatever it is that you enjoy or that makes you smile, you will find someone else on the app that loves that too.”

A CNBC All-America Economic Survey from March found that nearly half of participants, or 47%, supported a ban or sale of TikTok, while just over 30% opposed a ban.

On TikTok, there are over 585,000 posts opposing the ban, primarily using hashtags like #KeepTikTok and #SaveTikTok. Many testimonials emphasize TikTok’s role in providing online entertainment, while others argue for the preservation of the current platform, citing its importance for their livelihoods.