1 in 3 TikTok users suffer from TikTok withdrawals

Max McCaskill Sr. Staff Writer

Updated 14 March 2025

Contents

In this guide:

What is going on with TikTok?
Social media and TikTok statistics
Tired of social media? Try this instead
Need a better data plan to keep up with your scrolling?
Methodology

ByteDance preemptively took TikTok offline on January 18 just before a law banning its Chinese ownership went into effect. While TikTok was unavailable for less than 12 hours, the disruption left millions of Americans reeling.

With TikTok’s future still in doubt, the experts here at WhistleOut decided to investigate how social media users reacted when TikTok went offline. We found that some users fled to other platforms, while others suffered from strong feelings of withdrawal often seen with social media addiction. Surprisingly, TikTok’s stunt may have a lasting negative impact too, with some users toning down their usage or deleting the app from their phones after the outage.

We’ve got the full details surrounding TikTok’s usage and social media addiction. We can also offer suggestions for healthier apps if you’re looking to break your social media fix or better data plans if you want to continue to scroll.

What is going on with TikTok?

In the wake of TikTok’s massive U.S. user base, the Biden Administration and Congress passed the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (FACCA) in 2024. It directed Chinese companies like ByteDance—TikTok’s parent company—to sell widely used apps that Americans could access. The law mandated that if TikTok was not sold, its technology partners—such as Oracle, Apple, and Google—could be fined $5,000 per user for platforming the app.

The FACCA mandated the sale of TikTok by January 19, 2025. On January 18, TikTok temporarily took itself offline in the United States until it had assurances from the incoming Trump administration that no action would be taken against the app.

In response, President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department not to enforce the FACCA for 75 days, giving ByteDance the chance to sell the app or fight the law in court.

The enforcement pause expires on April 5, but Trump has indicated he may extend the timeline for TikTok again, leaving the future of the app still in doubt.

Social media statistics: How did Americans react to the TikTok ban?

Backlinko recently found TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps in the U.S. with 170 million users. US adults spend an average of 53.8 minutes per day on TikTok and the app saw 137 million downloads in Q1 of 2024 alone.

With another potential ban on the horizon, we wanted to know how TikTok’s users reacted to the brief outage in January. We found that a large portion of TikTok users immediately suffered from feelings associated with social media addiction, such as panic or withdrawal because they couldn’t access the app. After it was back online, most users immediately returned to using TikTok as they always did, but some decided to switch to other social media apps or stopped using them entirely.

About a third of TikTok users report feelings of ‘withdrawal’ from TikTok, including feelings of intense FOMO, seeking the app out on their phone even after they’ve deleted it, and not knowing what to do with their time after giving up scrolling.
Over 1 in 4 people report using TikTok significantly less or outright deleting the app since the short ban in January.
Just over 1 in 10 people say they use the app more, while most users’ TikTok-watching habits have stayed the same.
Of those who deleted the app or stopped using it as much, 39% report not replacing that time spent with another app.
The most popular apps replacing TikTok are YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and Facebook - but, surprisingly, almost 1 in 10 TikTok deleters moved to similar China-based video app RedNote.

Feelings like FOMO, withdrawal, doomscrolling, and compulsive account checking are all classic signs of social media addiction. That said, few TikTokers took steps to reduce their usage. Instead, most returned to their habit as soon as service was restored and TikTok went back to the app stores.

FOMO and social media addiction

FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is an anxious feeling that one is missing out on or unaware of information, events, and experiences. As it relates to social media, it’s a feeling that causes people to compulsively return to their accounts so they don’t miss anything that’s happening online. During TikTok’s ban period, one-third of users felt “withdrawal” and FOMO, but it can occur with any social media platform.

1 in 4 people experience FOMO when they’re not on social media for more than a day.

If you’ve ever felt this way, it’s usually a good sign to cut down on your social media usage.

Social media can have positive impacts too

It’s important to note that social media isn’t all bad! While using it too much can lead to addiction or other negative effects, plenty of people use social media to enhance their lives by keeping up with friends, family, and the world around them.

51% of social media users mainly receive their news from social media before hearing about it on traditional news outlets, and 58% say they feel more informed about world events because of social media.
TikTok is tied with Reddit for happiest userbase, with 65% reporting that their social media usage has had a positive impact on their life.

The happiness many people get from TikTok is part of the reason its users have reacted strongly to the ban and why the Trump administration is reluctant to enforce it.

Tired of social media? Try these apps instead

If the TikTok ban has you ready to break your social media habit, we’ve got some other options for you to check out instead:

If you're a parent concerned about your child’s social media and smartphone habits, we’ve also got a list of the best parental control apps to help you monitor their devices. Finally, if you're tired of dealing with the mental stress that comes with having a smartphone packed with addictive apps, it may be time to consider jumping on the dumbphone trend.

Need a better data plan to keep up with your scrolling?

If you’re happy with your social media use, you can save money by switching to a cheaper data plan. Social media apps like Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are some of the biggest users of mobile data on your phone.

Most people are paying too much for their wireless plan. Luckily, smaller carriers called MVNOs offer discounted service on the nation's leading networks. You can get a phone plan operating on the AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon networks with plenty of data for your favorite social media apps at a fraction of the cost.

Here are some of the most popular MVNO plans:

Visible	Visible $25 Visible Plan Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data Verizon 5G Network in select areas with compatible devices Unlimited mobile hotspot data $25.00/mo Taxes & Fees included View Plan	$25.00/mo Taxes & Fees included	View Plan
Mint Mobile	Mint Mobile Unlimited Data Plan Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data T-Mobile 5G Network in select areas with compatible devices 20GB mobile hotspot data Deal: Get this plan for just $25/mo. when you switch to Mint Mobile using promo code 15OFF at checkout. Upfront payment required $25.00/mo $75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only. View Plan	$25.00/mo $75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.	View Plan
XFINITY Mobile	XFINITY Mobile Mobile Select Plan Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data Available on 1 Major 5G Nationwide network in select areas with compatible devices Unlimited mobile hotspot data Deal: Get a FREE 1 year of Xfinity Mobile Select Plan with Xfinity Internet required $0.00/mo (for the first year of service) <br>Regular rate of $30/mo. thereafter View Plan	$0.00/mo (for the first year of service) <br>Regular rate of $30/mo. thereafter	View Plan
US Mobile	US Mobile Unlimited Starter Plan Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data Available on 3 Major 5G Nationwide networks in select areas and compatible devices 10GB mobile hotspot data whistleOut Exclusive: Get this plan for only $45 for 3 months ($15/mo.) with new number activation OR $5 off per month for 6 mo. (up to 3 lines) OR 30 Days FREE Trial $25.00/mo $20/mo. for 6 months; $25/mo. thereafter View Plan	$25.00/mo $20/mo. for 6 months; $25/mo. thereafter	View Plan
Cricket	Cricket Supreme Unlimited Plan Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data Available on 1 Major 5G Nationwide network in select areas with compatible devices 50GB mobile hotspot data $55.00/mo with AutoPay; $60 for the first month. + $9.99 Upfront View Plan	$55.00/mo with AutoPay; $60 for the first month. + $9.99 Upfront	View Plan

Methodology

We surveyed 1,000 American adults about their social media habits using Pollfish. Results are post-stratified.

Max McCaskill

Sr. Staff Writer

Max is a Senior Staff Writer at WhistleOut, specializing in mobile plans, operating systems, and carrier news. He regularly tests and reviews dozens of phone plans firsthand, evaluating real-world data speeds, coverage reliability, and plan features. He's been featured in publications such as Yahoo Finance, AARP, AP News, and GoBankingRates.

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