Biden has been urged to extend the deadline for selling TikTok to prevent the social media platform from being banned.

On Monday, two Democratic lawmakers urged U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress to extend the deadline for the Chinese company ByteDance to sell its American TikTok assets. Currently, if the sale does not occur by January 19, the app faces a ban in the United States.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing Reuters.

The agency notes that on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case where TikTok and ByteDance are challenging this law. The companies' lawyer, Noel Francisco, stated that it would be impossible to complete the sale by the next week's deadline. He pointed out that if the app is banned, the short videos watched by 170 million Americans will disappear, and "essentially, the platform will cease to exist" in the U.S.

In light of this, Senator Edward Markey announced plans to introduce a bill that would extend the deadline for the sale or ban by an additional 270 days.

"A ban would destroy a unique informational and cultural ecosystem, silencing millions of voices. A TikTok ban would have serious consequences for millions of Americans whose social connections and economic lives depend on this app. We cannot allow this to happen," he stated.

On the same day, Representative Ro Khanna, also a Democrat, called on both Biden and the newly elected U.S. president to suspend the ban, as this issue touches on both free speech and the financial aspects of Americans' lives.

"Suspend this ban so that 170 million Americans do not lose their freedom of speech. If this ban is implemented, millions of Americans will lose their livelihoods," the representative stated.

Reuters reports that Biden may extend the deadline by 90 days if he confirms that ByteDance has made significant progress in the asset sale process. However, it is unlikely that the company will meet this standard.

In response to the situation, Trump has reacted. He has filed a lawsuit asking to postpone the implementation of the law, stating that after taking office on January 20, he should have time to seek a "political solution" to this issue.

If the court does not block the law by Sunday, new downloads of TikTok from app stores on smartphones will be prohibited. However, existing users will still be able to access the app for a limited time. Meanwhile, services will gradually degrade and ultimately stop functioning, as companies will be prohibited from providing support.

Let us remind you that on Friday, media outlets (including CNN, Axios, and Associated Press) reported that most members of the U.S. Supreme Court are likely to support the law that would ban TikTok in the United States. The reason for this is concerns over the app's ties to China.