Late Saturday night in the US, the over 170 million Americans on TikTok were unable to access the app after the Chinese company shut its platform down. In the wake of this decision, there was a dramatic increase in the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) services throughout the United States.
vpnMentor’s research team, closely monitoring VPN usage in anticipation of the shutdown, reported a massive 1566% spike in demand just minutes after the app went offline. In fact, the usage of VPN services had been growing steadily since the January 18, twenty-four hours before the official implementation of the TikTok ban.
This huge demand, however, died down as the VPN was not allowing users to access TikTok. According to the report by vpnMentor, “This rapid escalation swiftly subsided as certain users discovered that utilizing a VPN proved futile due to the restriction blocking not only IP addresses but apparently all accounts originating from the USA.”
Increased usage of VPNs has not been triggered only by the TikTok ban. Data shows a consistent rise in service usage across the United States, culminating in an approximate 30% surge compared to 2024 figures.
Read: Florida Sees VPN Demand Skyrocket After Pornhub Ban
As of now, TikTok, CapCut, and Lemon8, all owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, remain inaccessible in the US. The apps have also been delisted on Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
Many Americans are hopeful that Trump will lift the ban once he is officially sworn in. He has indicated he may give the social media platform a 90-day extension. Ironically, in 2020, during the 1st Trump administration, he prompted initial discussions on banning TikTok.
