If TikTok disappears from the United States, it will lose more than just its 170 million American users.
TikTok users and business owners in the UK told the Guardian that they will also lose a significant portion of their audience after the ban is implemented. The video app has become an important gateway to the United States for British online video creators who make a living racking up views and trading sponsored content. With the ban set to take effect on Sunday, there will be a U.S.-sized breach in the global user base.
“In the English-speaking market, many creators have large American audiences that follow them,” said Thomas Walters, chief executive of Billion Dollar Boy, a British ad agency that pairs blue-chip advertisers with creators and influencers . He added that a ban would be "very sad" for creators who have built an audience on TikTok "from scratch."
The Guardian spoke to several British creators and one entrepreneur, all of whom said they would be affected by the ban.
Beech has an audience of 1.7 million on TikTok, nearly half of which are in the United States. He said the close relationship between creators and users on both sides of the Atlantic was a form of digital cultural exchange that millions of Britons and Americans would miss.
“It makes a big difference for all of us to see the gaps that exist in our information flow,” he said.
Beach, who describes his posts as "high-energy fashion content", said sponsored content from brands such as US skincare brand Kiehl's and Sky TV provides the bulk of his income. He also appears on YouTube Shorts and Instagram, but said he noticed TikTok users "don't necessarily follow you elsewhere."
"(The ban) will leave people in a diaspora, trying to find their favorite creators again and find a new home on whatever platform they choose," he said.
Fats is a comedian and disability activist who posts comedy, beauty and lifestyle content to her 3 million followers on TikTok. She says the platform’s reach in the U.S., which accounts for about a quarter of her followers, is crucial to her work.
“TikTok has been critical to my career because it allows me to connect with an American audience where people like me — a Black woman with dwarfism — are often underrepresented in the United States,” she said.
Timber added that the United States provides opportunities for creators like her to "grow, collaborate and make a name for themselves on the global stage."
"It's not just about the numbers. It's about the impact I can have and the representation I can provide to people who rarely see people like them in the media. Losing that connection feels like losing me part of the goal," she said.
Timbo says her U.S. audience is "key to securing brand deals, collaborations and visibility globally." Losing TikTok in the United States would be a "major setback," but she also creates content on Instagram to stay connected with her American fans.
American viewers account for approximately 40% of Em Wallbank's audience. The South Yorkshire-based creator said her comedy skits were a hit across the Atlantic partly because of her accent. Wallbank, known for his posts riffing on Harry Potter characters, has 1.7 million followers on TikTok.
"I think part of the reason for my popularity is that I'm from the North and my accent is a bit of a novelty (to American users)," she said.
Wallbank, who began posting skits on TikTok in 2022, said the U.S. social media market was a proving ground for the ability of creators like the Kardashians and Nicole Richie to carve out broad careers.
“Those who have made careers outside of social media have done so because they captured the attention of the American audience,” she said.
Wallbank's popularity in the U.S. has allowed her to attend fan conventions in the U.S. and work with multinationals like Disney+ in the U.K. to create sponsored content. She worries about potential creators who could exploit TikTok and its American audience to access creative careers that might otherwise be out of reach.
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“With my background, being able to go into the creative industries was a huge thing,” she said.
Yuma said the U.S. TikTok audience has been crucial to the growth of her business, which sells home and hair accessories using African fabrics.
"Building a business solely relying on the UK audience can be tricky. During lockdown, it was the US audience that drove my business and took it to the next level," she said.
Yuma, who has more than 3,000 followers on TikTok, said she has seen an influx of American customers and fans as the Black Lives Matter movement surged in popularity in 2020.
Yuma said TikTok's disappearance from the United States would mean "I'm going to lose a big part of my community." "They helped me with the design. It's a really beautiful community that I created."
She added that if TikTok was shut down in the United States, she would need to rethink how to connect with American audiences.
"I'm going to have to rethink my strategies on how to keep them in my community and stay connected to them," she said. "I don't want to isolate them. They are very important to my business."
Cornforth posts fitness-related comedy sketches to his 460,000 followers, of whom Americans make up about a quarter. He said the income he earns from sponsored content will be protected as he works with British brands such as Argos.
However, he said brands may react negatively to creators losing large audiences.
"Brands do look at your total reach. If there's the possibility of a 20 to 30 percent cut, does that impact your future opportunities with those brands?" he asked.
Cornforth added that TikTok's U.S. audience will be important in establishing trends across other platforms. Without this influence, creators may lose motivation and inspiration for their work.
“It’s where trends originate and then they trickle down to YouTube Shorts and Instagram,” he said.