Sun Jan 19 20:42:15 UTC 2025: ## TikTok Ban Takes Effect: US Traffic Plummets, Alternatives Surge

**San Francisco, January 19, 2025** – Cloudflare’s data confirms a dramatic drop in US traffic to TikTok following the enforcement of a nationwide ban today. The ban, stemming from the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, mandated ByteDance’s divestment from the platform due to security concerns.

Beginning at approximately 10:30 PM ET on January 18th, DNS traffic to TikTok and other ByteDance-owned platforms, such as CapCut, plummeted by as much as 85%. Data from ByteDance’s network shows a similarly sharp decline of up to 95% in traffic to Cloudflare.

The impact was immediate. A message indicating the ban appeared for US users around the same time.

Conversely, alternative apps, notably RedNote (Xiaohongshu), saw a significant surge in popularity. US traffic to RedNote increased by as much as 74% around 11 PM ET on January 18th. This trend reflects similar increases in app store rankings, according to Data.ai.

The impact extended beyond US borders. Significant increases in daily DNS traffic to TikTok alternatives were also observed in Mexico (500%), Canada (68%), the UK (53%), Germany (110%), and France (75%) on January 18th.

While President-elect Donald Trump has indicated a possible 90-day extension following his inauguration, the immediate effect of the ban is undeniable. Cloudflare continues to monitor the situation and will provide further updates on its various social media platforms.

Read More