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[00:00.04]As the date nears

[00:02.32]for a possible U.S. ban

[00:05.12]on the video sharing service TikTok,

[00:08.88]some small companies are saying

[00:12.16]such a ban would hurt their business.

[00:16.68]The U.S. Justice Department has ordered

[00:20.48]TikTok's China-based parent, ByteDance,

[00:25.12]to sell the social media app

[00:27.72]by January 19 or face the ban.

[00:33.16]Lawyers for ByteDance and TikTok

[00:36.96]have sought legal action to temporarily block

[00:41.36]the Justice Department's order.

[00:44.32]The Supreme Court is expected

[00:47.48]to consider the matter in January.

[00:51.12]President-elect Donald Trump,

[00:54.28]who takes office January 20,

[00:57.44]has asked the Supreme Court to delay a ban

[01:01.84]to permit solving the problem

[01:04.60]through "political means."

[01:07.28]U.S. officials have long warned

[01:11.12]that TikTok presents national security concerns.

[01:16.12]The government accuses ByteDance

[01:19.80]of sharing user data with China's government.

[01:24.76]Critics have said China could also use TikTok

[01:30.20]to spread misinformation

[01:32.64]and that material published on the service

[01:36.64]can harm the mental health of young users.

[01:41.04]TikTok has repeatedly denied the accusations.

[01:46.84]The company has said it sees the app

[01:50.48]as an important tool to support

[01:54.04]Americans' right to free speech.

[01:57.52]Industry experts have said

[02:01.12]a U.S. ban on TikTok

[02:03.92]could affect millions of small businesses

[02:07.80]that use the service to grow.

[02:11.76]TikTok launched in the United States in 2016.

[02:17.56]Since then, many small business owners

[02:21.64]have been using it in different ways.

[02:25.08]These include marketing and advertising campaigns

[02:30.44]to introduce new products.

[02:33.60]Many companies also sell goods

[02:37.16]directly through the app.

[02:39.88]TikTok's own estimates suggest

[02:44.24]small businesses currently using the service

[02:48.36]would lose more than $1 billion in revenue

[02:52.96]in a single month if the ban goes into effect.

[02:57.96]One example of how TikTok can be used

[03:02.52]to quickly grow a business

[03:05.12]is the experience of Desiree Hill.

[03:09.24]She is the owner of Crown's Corner Mechanic

[03:13.72]in Conyers, Georgia.

[03:16.24]She told the Associated Press

[03:19.72]that sharing videos of her work on TikTok

[03:24.12]helped spread the word online about her business.

[03:29.00]As a result, the app

[03:31.80]made her services so popular

[03:35.12]she was able to open her own shop

[03:38.16]with five employees 18 months ago.

[03:43.08]"Every day I get at least two to three customers

[03:48.20]that have seen me on TikTok,

[03:50.40]watched my videos

[03:52.48]and wanted to become a customer," Hill said.

[03:57.20]If a ban on TikTok is established,

[04:01.52]many businesses would likely move

[04:04.32]to other services to reach customers.

[04:08.96]Instagram Reels, Snapchat

[04:12.60]and YouTube Shorts are three possibilities.

[04:16.64]Many small companies already use those apps.

[04:21.48]But business experts say

[04:24.60]it might be harder to get teens

[04:27.56]who have long used TikTok

[04:30.24]to start using other apps.

[04:33.12]Another way for businesses to reduce the effects of a ban

[04:35.16]would be for them to build a strong base of customers

[04:40.00]who are willing to provide their contact emails or phone numbers.

[04:45.96]That permits owners

[04:48.68]to reach out directly to users

[04:51.40]with new offers and other marketing messages.

[04:55.92]Hill, of Crown Corner Mechanics,

[04:59.52]worries that other services would not

[05:02.88]reach as many possible customers as TikTok.

[05:07.76]She said she is already using YouTube,

[05:12.00]Instagram and Facebook,

[05:14.68]but has not been getting the same results.

[05:18.68]"I am worried because there is no preparation for this,"

[05:24.00]Hill told the AP.

[05:26.52]She added, "If I lose TikTok,

[05:30.36]I will lose a large part of my business

[05:34.08]or I will lose my ability to grow anymore."

[05:38.72]Crystal Lister uses TikTok for her business,

[05:43.84]called Mommy and Me: The Listers,

[05:47.60]in Cypress, Texas.

[05:49.60]The company offers interactive educational training

[05:54.84]in subjects including technology and science.

[05:59.48]Now, she is seeking to move her offerings

[06:03.64]to YouTube and Instagram Reels

[06:07.20]but says TikTok is easier to use.

[06:11.52]"It is going to be a challenge if TikTok is banned

[06:16.60]because we're losing kind of

[06:19.00]all the functionality you want," Lister said.

[06:23.36]These could include video creation methods

[06:27.80]and the ability to spread product details

[06:32.00]through social media.

[06:33.88]"So we'll have to use many other platforms

[06:38.28]to supplement what TikTok did in one."

[06:42.88]I'm Bryan Lynn.

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Words in This Story

app – n. a small computer program that can be put onto a mobile phone or other electronic device

customer– n. a person or organization that buys goods or services from a shop or business

interactive – adj. involving communication between people

challenge – n. something difficult that tests one's ability or determination

functionality– n. the way something works

supplement – v. to add things to make something larger or better