TOPIC

/ company

TikTok

Latest news and updates on TikTok, the globally popular social media platform. The app, which merged with Musical.ly in 2018, lets users create short videos under a minute long complete with visual effects and background music. It has since come under scrutiny in countries like the US and India because it is owned by a Chinese company. Critics have accused the app of posing a national security risk, a claim that TikTok has repeatedly denied. Known as Douyin in China, the app is owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance, also behind the Chinese news aggregator Jinri Toutiao.

Chairman / President

Zhang Yiming

CEO / Managing Director

Shou Zi Chew

CFO / Finance Director

Julie Gao

Industry

Social Media

Website

tiktok.com

Headquarters address

Culver City, 5800 Bristol Pkwy, United States

Year founded

2016

My Take

My Take | TikTok deal good for Chinese owners but terrible for users in the United States

The social media platform, now majority owned by Americans, will herald a new era of state control and corporate manipulation of US citizens.

8 Feb 2026 - 10:15PM

TikTok ban

TikTok ‘addictive’, EU finds in digital law probe

7 Feb 2026 - 12:58PM

ByteDance

TikTok tax time: ByteDance ‘encourages’ Chinese staff to declare global income

5 Feb 2026 - 7:30PM

Food and Drinks

On the Menu | How to become a real ‘Chinese baddie’? It’s more than just drinking hot water

TikTokkers claim they’re ‘becoming Chinese’ because they drink hot water, but achieving true ‘Chinese baddie’ status is much harder.

5 Feb 2026 - 10:08AM

Sara Jane Ho shows how to slice an orange elegantly on her Netflix show, Mind Your Manners. In a Chinese home, the act of peeling and cutting fruit for your loved ones is a sign of deep respect. Those wanting to become a true “Chinese baddie” would do well to take heed. Photo: Instagram/sarajaneho

Icons and Influencers

Nadya Okamoto on challenging norms through menstrual care activism

With nearly 4.5 million TikTok followers, the entrepreneur – who also started a non-profit to combat period poverty – has clearly struck a chord.

30 Jan 2026 - 8:00AM

US-China relations

Opinion | Trump’s power politics is paving the way to a G2 world order with China

Trump’s actions signal an openness to G2, give China leverage with US allies and open the door for other powers to use coercive force.

29 Jan 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

US-China relations

TikTok cites glitch as California probes alleged Trump-critical censorship

Governor Gavin Newsom launches state review after reports of blocked posts, as TikTok blames a data-centre outage days after its US deal.

28 Jan 2026 - 9:02AMvideocam

The ‌TikTok deal provides for American and ‌global investors to hold 80.1 per cent of the venture while ByteDance will own 19.9 per cent. Photo: AP

France

Macron pushes forward France’s social media ban for under 15s

France’s health watchdog said that 90 per cent of children between 12 and 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet.

25 Jan 2026 - 7:47PM

US-China relations

Who are the owners of the new TikTok US entity?

Private equity firms, tech giants and existing ByteDance backers make up the investor group behind the newly created US venture.

24 Jan 2026 - 7:09AMvideocam

ByteDance

TikTok US joint venture seen resembling Apple’s China iCloud deal

ByteDance retains algorithms and intellectual property rights and remains the largest single shareholder of the new joint venture.

23 Jan 2026 - 10:00PM

The TikTok USDS Joint Venture is 19.9 per cent owned by ByteDance. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

TikTok confirms deal to create new US venture, averting shutdown by a few hours

Beijing has not officially confirmed the agreement to secure the platform’s future for 170 million Americans.

23 Jan 2026 - 11:10AMvideocam

Half of TikTok US’s investors under the deal will be new entrants. Photo: Reuters

Canada

Canada court overturns government order to shut down TikTok’s operations

The decision comes as Mark Carney seeks closer ties to China to offset the effect of Trump’s tariffs.

22 Jan 2026 - 5:29AMvideocam

China trade

Opinion | From tea to TikTok: the middleman’s return is reshaping China trade

The old Canton system is re-emerging in a new guise as the likes of TikTok and Starbucks look to middlemen to navigate a divided global economy.

16 Jan 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Australia

Australian social media ban: Meta shuts 550,000 children’s accounts

Australia’s ban on social media usage for under 16s, a world’s first, came into effect on December 10.

12 Jan 2026 - 11:29AMvideocam

US-China relations

California progressive to lead Democrats on influential House China panel

Ro Khanna to replace Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is making a Senate run, on the House Select Committee monitoring China.

6 Jan 2026 - 7:08AMvideocam

Ro Khanna has been named as the senior Democrat on the bipartisan House Select Committee focused on competition with China. Photo: TNS

Britain

UK begins ‘world-leading’ junk food ad ban to curb childhood obesity

Restrictions on daytime television and paid online advertisements are part of a US$2.7 billion preventive health strategy.

5 Jan 2026 - 7:36PM

Fame and celebrity

Explainer | What is the relationship ‘swag gap’? Just ask Hailey and Justin Bieber

It’s been 2 years since the Biebers attended a Rhode beauty drop in wildly different outfits – and TikTok seems to think such ‘swag gaps’ are relationship deal-breakers.

5 Jan 2026 - 6:00PM

Malaysia

Malaysia moves to regulate WhatsApp, Facebook and others under online safety law

The decision to deem major platforms licensed regardless of application closes a regulatory gap, but questions remain over enforcement.

1 Jan 2026 - 5:50PM

Young women using a smartphone in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From January 1, major social media and messaging platforms with more than eight million users in Malaysia are treated as licensed under a new online safety regime. Photo: AP

Artificial intelligence

Poland urges Brussels probe TikTok over AI-generated ‘EU exit’ content

TikTok removes content as Warsaw suspects Russia is behind synthetic videos calling for Poland’s exit from the EU.

31 Dec 2025 - 2:34PM

Mainland China

Video | Watch SCMP’s most watched viral videos of 2025

Watch SCMP’s most viewed viral videos of 2025.

30 Dec 2025 - 4:33PM

Fame and celebrity

Meet comedian Morgan Jay, who went viral for his auto-tuned musical acts

Jay grew up in a musical family and interned at The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, before going viral on TikTok for his hilarious crowd work.

27 Dec 2025 - 6:00AM

American comedian Morgan Jay is taking his Goofy Guy Tour around the world. Photo: @morganjay/Instagram

TikTok ban

China’s stance on TikTok deal seen as acceptance, not approval: analysts

In 2020, a similar arrangement between ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart fell apart after China revised its export control list.

26 Dec 2025 - 8:00PM

ByteDance will license its AI recommendation technology to a newly created US TikTok entity. Photo: Reuters

Social media

Opinion | West is getting on the same page as China for children’s social media use

Governments face the same problem: how to let young people grow up in a connected world, around products not designed with their well-being in mind.

26 Dec 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Artificial intelligence

ByteDance, other major Chinese tech firms lead local consumer AI market: report

ByteDance-owned Doubao remains the country’s top consumer AI app, as DeepSeek’s namesake chatbot takes the No 2 spot.

24 Dec 2025 - 8:31PM

Year in Review

SCMP Plus Year in Review 2025: China

As the year comes to a close, SCMP Plus highlights the biggest China-related stories of the year.

23 Dec 2025 - 4:00PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a military parade in Beijing in September. Photo: AP

Food and Drinks

Old-fashioned cookbooks remain popular, including with many professional chefs

Social media may be awash with recipes, but book fans cite their appreciation for high-quality narratives and photography in a tangible form.

23 Dec 2025 - 6:00AM

Although most people get their recipes online these days, many of us still appreciate a good recipe tome -- like this Le Creuset cookbook, published by Assouline. Photo: Handout

TikTok ban

Exclusive | TikTok owner ByteDance’s valuation hits US$500 billion as US plan advances

Figure marks a record for China’s tech giant, which will divest its US entity into a joint venture that includes Oracle and Silver Lake.

22 Dec 2025 - 9:00PM

US-China relations

Editorial | TikTok deal could show way forward for US-China engagement

The agreement, under which the platform will become a joint venture controlled by a consortium of investors, highlights the importance of negotiation and mutual respect.

22 Dec 2025 - 7:15AM

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TikTok

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}My Take | TikTok deal good for Chinese owners but terrible for users in the United States

The social media platform, now majority owned by Americans, will herald a new era of state control and corporate manipulation of US citizens.

TikTok ‘addictive’, EU finds in digital law probe

TikTok tax time: ByteDance ‘encourages’ Chinese staff to declare global income

On the Menu | How to become a real ‘Chinese baddie’? It’s more than just drinking hot water

TikTokkers claim they’re ‘becoming Chinese’ because they drink hot water, but achieving true ‘Chinese baddie’ status is much harder.

Nadya Okamoto on challenging norms through menstrual care activism

With nearly 4.5 million TikTok followers, the entrepreneur – who also started a non-profit to combat period poverty – has clearly struck a chord.

Opinion | Trump’s power politics is paving the way to a G2 world order with China

Trump’s actions signal an openness to G2, give China leverage with US allies and open the door for other powers to use coercive force.

TikTok cites glitch as California probes alleged Trump-critical censorship

Governor Gavin Newsom launches state review after reports of blocked posts, as TikTok blames a data-centre outage days after its US deal.

Macron pushes forward France’s social media ban for under 15s

France’s health watchdog said that 90 per cent of children between 12 and 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet.

Who are the owners of the new TikTok US entity?

Private equity firms, tech giants and existing ByteDance backers make up the investor group behind the newly created US venture.

TikTok US joint venture seen resembling Apple’s China iCloud deal

ByteDance retains algorithms and intellectual property rights and remains the largest single shareholder of the new joint venture.

TikTok confirms deal to create new US venture, averting shutdown by a few hours

Beijing has not officially confirmed the agreement to secure the platform’s future for 170 million Americans.

Canada court overturns government order to shut down TikTok’s operations

The decision comes as Mark Carney seeks closer ties to China to offset the effect of Trump’s tariffs.

Opinion | From tea to TikTok: the middleman’s return is reshaping China trade

The old Canton system is re-emerging in a new guise as the likes of TikTok and Starbucks look to middlemen to navigate a divided global economy.

Australian social media ban: Meta shuts 550,000 children’s accounts

Australia’s ban on social media usage for under 16s, a world’s first, came into effect on December 10.

California progressive to lead Democrats on influential House China panel

Ro Khanna to replace Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is making a Senate run, on the House Select Committee monitoring China.

UK begins ‘world-leading’ junk food ad ban to curb childhood obesity

Restrictions on daytime television and paid online advertisements are part of a US$2.7 billion preventive health strategy.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | What is the relationship ‘swag gap’? Just ask Hailey and Justin Bieber

It’s been 2 years since the Biebers attended a Rhode beauty drop in wildly different outfits – and TikTok seems to think such ‘swag gaps’ are relationship deal-breakers.

Malaysia moves to regulate WhatsApp, Facebook and others under online safety law

The decision to deem major platforms licensed regardless of application closes a regulatory gap, but questions remain over enforcement.

Poland urges Brussels probe TikTok over AI-generated ‘EU exit’ content

TikTok removes content as Warsaw suspects Russia is behind synthetic videos calling for Poland’s exit from the EU.

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Watch SCMP’s most watched viral videos of 2025

Watch SCMP’s most viewed viral videos of 2025.

Meet comedian Morgan Jay, who went viral for his auto-tuned musical acts

Jay grew up in a musical family and interned at The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, before going viral on TikTok for his hilarious crowd work.

China’s stance on TikTok deal seen as acceptance, not approval: analysts

In 2020, a similar arrangement between ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart fell apart after China revised its export control list.

Opinion | West is getting on the same page as China for children’s social media use

Governments face the same problem: how to let young people grow up in a connected world, around products not designed with their well-being in mind.

ByteDance, other major Chinese tech firms lead local consumer AI market: report

ByteDance-owned Doubao remains the country’s top consumer AI app, as DeepSeek’s namesake chatbot takes the No 2 spot.

SCMP Plus Year in Review 2025: China

As the year comes to a close, SCMP Plus highlights the biggest China-related stories of the year.

Old-fashioned cookbooks remain popular, including with many professional chefs

Social media may be awash with recipes, but book fans cite their appreciation for high-quality narratives and photography in a tangible form.

Exclusive | TikTok owner ByteDance’s valuation hits US$500 billion as US plan advances

Figure marks a record for China’s tech giant, which will divest its US entity into a joint venture that includes Oracle and Silver Lake.

Editorial | TikTok deal could show way forward for US-China engagement

The agreement, under which the platform will become a joint venture controlled by a consortium of investors, highlights the importance of negotiation and mutual respect.

My Take | TikTok deal good for Chinese owners but terrible for users in the United States

Explainer | What is the relationship ‘swag gap’? Just ask Hailey and Justin Bieber

Video | Watch SCMP’s most watched viral videos of 2025