A U.S. ban of TikTok began to take effect on Sunday, capping a high-stakes battle that pitted the federal government against one of the nation's most popular social media platforms.

The video app that once styled itself a joyful politics-free zone is now bracing for a nationwide ban and pinning its hopes on President-elect Donald Trump.

Millions of TikTok users in the United States are no longer able to watch videos on the social media platform as a federal ban on the immensely popular app takes effect.

TikTok on Friday said that it would turn off more than 170 million Americans’ access to the super popular video app on Sunday, unless President Joe Biden’s administration acts urgently to assure the company it will not be punished for violating the terms of its looming ban.

TikTok isn’t the villain here. It’s a symptom of a much larger issue: the lack of clear, enforceable rules for data privacy and security. Instead of banning the app, the government should focus on fixing the system.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew posted a video message to user in the US and thanked Donald Trump after the US Supreme Court upheld a law potentially shutting down the platform due to alleged national security concerns over its Chinese ownership.

The case hinges on whether TikTok can convince Justices that such a mandate violates the First Amendment by forcing a foreign-controlled app to sell or shut down. As of Friday, they have not — and the Court has compelled Tik-Tok to be sold or shuttered this weekend.

Even if temporary, the unprecedented shutdown of TikTok will have an impact on U.S.-China relations, domestic politics, the social-media marketplace and millions of Americans who depend on the app.

Millions of TikTok users in the United States are no longer able to watch videos on the social media platform as a federal ban on the immensely popular app takes effect.

Users on the app were saying their goodbyes, some filming themselves frantically scrolling or sharing final secrets with their followers ahead of the possible ban.