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By Gabe Whisnant
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According to the website Downdetector, TikTok experienced a host of outages on Thursday afternoon.
As of 4:45 p.m., there were more than 32,000 TikTok outage reports. By 5:15 p.m., the reported outages had fallen to 18,668. By 7:45 p.m., outages were down to 1,262.
Downdetector, an online platform that tracks and reports real-time outages and service disruptions, reports that 78 percent of TikTok outages are due to the mobile app, while 21 percent are linked to server connection. One percent of the outage reports are due to the website.
Read More on U.S.
As of 8 p.m. ET, TikTok had not released a statement about the issues on its social media pages. Newsweek has reached out to TikTok via its corporate media page on Thursday afternoon for comment.
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What to Know About TikTok
TikTok is one of the world's most popular social media platforms, boasting over 1 billion monthly active users globally. Launched by Chinese tech company ByteDance, the app has experienced explosive growth since its international debut in 2018, particularly among Gen Z and younger millennials. Its popularity is driven by a highly personalized algorithm that curates short-form videos tailored to individual interests, making the platform a constant source of viral trends, challenges, and cultural moments.
TikTok's massive user base and global reach have made it a dominant force in digital entertainment and a key player in shaping online culture.
TikTok's Status in the U.S. Remains Unclear
In January, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal law that required ByteDance, TikTok's China-based parent company to sell its operations or face a nationwide ban. The ban later went into effect and the Chinese-owned app stopped working for Americans for about 12 hours.
President Donald Trump signed an order that delayed the enforcement of the ban for 75 days until April 5, then later extended the deadline another 75 days to June 19. The president has indicated he would extend the June 19 deadline for ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. assets if no deal is reached by that date.
In a Sunday NBC News interview on Meet the Press with host Kristen Welker taped at Mar-a-Lago, Trump expressed willingness to see a deal completed, stating, "I would... I'd like to see it done." Trump acknowledged having a "sweet spot" for the app that helped him win young voters in the 2024 election, adding, "TikTok is - it's very interesting, but it will be protected."
"I won youth by 34 points. And there are those who say TikTok has something to do with it," Trump said at a press conference in Mar-a-Lago after his presidential election victory over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in November.
Update: 5/15/25, 5:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
Update: 5/15/25, 5:52 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 5/15/25, 6:20 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 5/15/25, 8:05 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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