The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Friday in two cases involving federal law that requires Chinese-owned ByteDance to divest from TikTok, or else TikTok will be banned from U.S. smartphone app stores and network providers.
Ahead of the arguments, Numerator, the consumer insights and data company, surveyed more than 1,300 TikTok users for an article, “Tick Tock Goes the Clock: Insights on How a TikTok Ban Would Affect Americans.”
The survey found 31% of U.S. adult consumers use TikTok, making it the fifth-most-popular social media app behind Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.
One Supreme Court case was brought by TikTok and ByteDance, and another case was filed by app content creators.
The complainants argue the law violates First Amendment rights by taking away access to the platform and its users’ speech, while the federal government argues the law is necessary to protect national security given ByteDance’s Chinese owners.
A lower appeals court sided with the federal government.
The law is set to take effect Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court steps in and either overturns the law or pauses it.
The Numerator survey round that TikTok falls in popularity through the generations: 76% of Gen Z use it, 40% of millennials, 36% of Gen X, and 18% of Baby Boomers.
Compared to all consumers, TikTok users are 51% more likely to say social media is the most influential ad touchpoint, and they are nearly twice as likely to follow celebrities and internet personalities or influencers on social media.
TikTok users spend more time on their mobile devices: 41% say they use mobile devices for more than six hours per day, compared to 31% of all consumers.
Concerning data privacy, 37% of TikTok users distrusted the app and 38% were neutral.
Should TikTok be banned, the survey indicated consumers planned to shift to Facebook (47%), Instagram (44%), and YouTube (40%).
TikTok Shop shoppers were more likely to be low-income, LGBTQ+, Gen Z’ers, and spend an average of $28 on TikTok Shop three times a year.
TikTok users also tended to use third-party delivery platforms more than other groups, with Numerator finding they are four times more likely to shop at Temu, three times more likely to use DoorDash, and 2.5 times more likely to use UberEats.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]
Follow him on X/Twitter: @RonRuggless
