TikTok uncertainty leaves content creators feeling nervy

For many people, TikTok is a fun escape – a place to share viral trends, discover new recipes, music, books, or learn clever life hacks. But for others, it’s their full-time job.

Leila Nikea is a beauty content creator from Derby. She left her job as a make-up artist three years ago to focus solely on TikTok. The platform has become her main source of income – in fact, her earnings have tripled since joining the app.

“It was difficult making that initial jump to quit… but it’s the best thing I ever did,” she says.

“If it wasn’t for TikTok I wouldn’t be here now. TikTok really enabled me to be seen, I’ve had so many opportunities. I’ve been able to purchase my house, something I didn’t think I would ever be able to do on the wage I was on before – it’s really opened doors for me financially, I feel a lot more secure.”

But uncertainty around its future is making her nervous.

The platform faced a ban in the US last month over national security concerns. The ban came into effect briefly before the decision was postponed and services were restored.

However, its future remains in doubt, with the app continuing to face scrutiny from lawmakers.

“I’ve put so much effort into TikTok, I’ve put my heart and soul into it,” she said.

“The amount of work that creators put into their videos behind the scenes, isn’t spoken about enough.

“To think that the app could just be taken away, after all of that hard work, is disheartening.

“It makes me panic about income and whether people will want to work with me on other platforms. It’s nerve-racking.”

For Leila and other creators, the situation is a reminder of how fragile their digital careers can be.

Howard and George, known as The Whiskey Brothers, have also seen TikTok transform their lives.

The musicians, from Belper in Derbyshire, spent 17 years performing as a wedding band before joining TikTok to push their original music.

“We’ve always really struggled to get our music out there, we’ve tried so many ways,” Howard says. “But now we’ve grown a following on TikTok, people are actually listening to our original music and we’ve actually got our first gig as The Whiskey Brothers coming up in March.”

Any bans or changes to the platform, they fear, could set them back dramatically.

“The idea of it getting banned in America was a wake-up call,” George admits. “It brings into question the plans we’ve got for the future, and whether making money doing what we love on TikTok is going to be possible, forever.

“You’re very aware that you could be shut down at any minute and how vulnerable you are.”

Safwan Ahmedmia, better known as SuperSaf, is one of the UK’s top tech influencers, with over two million followers across TikTok and YouTube.

He’s already lived through a TikTok ban when India blocked the app in 2020.

“Anything that happens internationally directly affects content creators in the UK,” he says. “When TikTok was banned in India it had a huge impact, I lost thousands of followers.”

Now, the Leicester-based influencer makes sure to post on multiple platforms.

“Social media is a very volatile environment, it’s not completely secure like a 9-5 job,” he says. “The way I’ve dealt with it over time is to diversify – and this is the advice I give to other content creators, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.”

TikTok’s fate in the US remains uncertain as political debates around data privacy and national security continue. Bans are already in place in India, and restrictions are growing in other countries.

Leila, Howard, George, and Safwan all agree that the platform’s unpredictability highlights the need for creators to adapt – but that doesn’t make the uncertainty any easier.

“At the end of the day,” Leila says. “I will never give up my passion just because of a platform – wherever people want to see me, I’ll be there.”