TikTok pays users to shop and invite friends amid potential US ban

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Video sharing platform TikTok is reportedly offering users hundreds of US dollars to spend time on the app, invite friends and purchase products from TikTok shop. The initiative comes as the brand tries to expand its business as a potential ban in the US looms.

According to Business Times, TikTok users recently began seeing a new "limited time offer" which compensates users in the forms of TikTok Shop credits. The offer appears on users' "For you" page when they open the app.

As part of this offer, users can reportedly earn US$50 for recruiting first timers to sign up on the app and unlock an additional US$350 in bonuses if they manage to recruit more. They may also scroll through 10 TikTok Shop items five times per week and make money by checking into the app every day for a week.

Don't miss: TikTok inches closer to US ban in January 2025

Those who click through the offer may also score an additional US$80 in coupons to spend after making a purchase on TikTok Shop.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to TikTok for a statement.

In tandem, TikTok is one step closer to becoming banned in the United States (US). A federal appeals court panel have unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on the video-sharing app by 19 January 2025.

The three judges denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or face a ban. In court documents seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, TikTok said that the divestiture is impractical and that it is "more difficult if not impossible".

In addition, TikTok argued that the law singles out TikTok and that a ban would infringe on the First Amendment rights of its users in America. In response, the judges said that the government has offered "persuasive evidence demonstrating that the act is narrowly tailored to protect national security".

The judges also disagreed with TikTok's argument that it infringes on the First Amendment rights of American users adding that the law was "carefully crafted to deal with only control by foreign adversary".

In response to the ruling, TikTok said:

"The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue. Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people. The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025."

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