The posts are not entirely incorrect, as they reference a deadline set by Congress for TikTok's parent company to divest from its U.S. business, but are missing important context. A bill prohibiting Chinese ownership of TikTok, which passed earlier this year, does take effect on January 19, 2025. However, the prohibition is being challenged in court, and the incoming Trump administration has vowed to prevent its implementation.

In April 2024, lawmakers passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which required ByteDance -- TikTok's Chinese parent company -- to sell its business interest or face a ban. The act, which broadly bans social media companies from being controlled by a foreign adversary country, passed as part of a broad supplemental appropriations bill that also included aid provisions for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.