In recent months US officials have voiced alarm over TikTok’s popularity with young people. They allege TikTok’s owner Bytedance is subservient to Beijing – accusations it has repeatedly denied. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week and previously US President Joe Biden has said he will sign the legislation. If the bill becomes law, Bytedance will have nine months to sell its stake – with a possible three-month extension while a sale is in progress – or face a ban. TikTok says a potential ban on its app in the US would “trample the free speech” of 170 million Americans. What will be implications ?

