TikTok Ban: Cross-Platform Trends in Reach and Engagement

Shipra Sanganeria
Published on: February 10, 2025 Updated 2 times since publishing

In January 2025, the digital space was sent into a tailspin as TikTok — one of the largest social networking platforms — faced a ban in the United States. The legislation and fallout of the threatened ban highlight a significant political divide in the country and have far-reaching implications.

Since 2020, TikTok has been a ripe ground for brands, content creators, and other social media professionals to engage consumers and communities. The ban, as short as it was, affected around 170 million users (the second-highest by country) and threatened connections that many have worked hard to build.

While the ban was short-lived, the 12-hour span was enough time to significantly impact the following and engagement of many brands and creators.

As a publishing group of cybersecurity experts and privacy researchers, we at SafetyDetectives wanted to see how news of the TikTok ban affected major accounts and analyze how different strategies led to growth or decline across platforms.

By looking at data and metrics from TikTok and other platforms, we aim to understand the ever-changing dynamics of the digital space and provide insights into effective crisis management in the digital age.

Metrics Before and After the Faux Ban

To create this report, we compiled and analyzed social media metrics from 30 accounts across 9 categories before and after the date of the proposed ban (that is, temporary suspension) on January 19. We selected the accounts based on their global relevance or fame and popularity among audiences in the United States.

Below is a breakdown of the accounts we studied and their respective categories:

TikTok

Of the 30 accounts included in our research, half gained followers after January 19, while the rest experienced neither loss nor gain. MrBeast recorded the highest number of new followers. Notably, his last post 3 days before the temporary suspension was an offer to buy TikTok.

As of this writing, that video has been viewed over 287.3 million times, surpassing the combined views of the 6 videos prior and becoming his most viewed TikTok to date. On January 21, he posted an update confirming that he’s putting in an official offer to become the platform’s new CEO. The video has been watched 100.4 million times.

Of the other 14 accounts that gained followers after the temporary suspension, half are news outlets (all 7 included in our study gained followers). Reuters recorded the highest percentage gain in followers, followed closely by The Guardian.

On the other hand, high-profile celebrities and brands showed little to no gain. This is likely because accounts in these categories had little activity during this period and did not display direct relevance to the event.

MrBeast, Dwayne Johnson, and DadSocial experienced the most consistent and notable gains in likes, comments, and views. MrBeast had the biggest positive change in average comments and views and the second-biggest in likes.

MrBeast’s percent change in all 3 metrics was relatively low compared to Dwayne Johnson and DadSocial, but this is because MrBeast’s metrics were significantly higher than the other accounts’ even before the ban.

Having the lowest number of average engagements before the temporary suspension of the 3 accounts, DadSocial consistently ranked first or second in terms of percent change. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson remained within the top 3 for all metrics.

Other accounts with a percent change in average engagement upward of 1,000% include:

• Likes: TMZ (+1,227.1%), Forbes (+2,644.8%), and CNBC (+5,185.9%)
• Comments: Reuters (+1,300.0%) and TMZ (+1,942.9%)
• Views: Amazon (+1,533.5%), Forbes (+2,253.1%), and CNBC (+3,867.4%)

Notably, those with the most stable engagement (from no change up to 5% change) are predominantly celebrities, including Hailey Bieber, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars. The list also includes Universal Pictures (percent change of 0 to 0.9%) — the only film studio account in the study.

Even though none of the accounts lost followers due to the temporary suspension, at least 23% of the accounts experienced significant losses in engagement (whether in terms of absolute change or percent change).

IShowSpeed and Bad Bunny had the highest absolute loss across the metrics, losing millions in average likes and views and tens of thousands in average comments despite gaining followers. The Guardian and McDonald’s took the biggest hit in terms of percent change — ranking in the bottom 2 in all 3 metrics.

Other accounts that saw losses in at least 2 metrics are:

• WIRED: -45.3% in likes and -44.3% in views
• CNN: -85% in likes and -8% in views
• Ford: -86.6% in likes and -73.7% in comments
• BMW: -79.9% in comments and -17% in views

Browse the full breakdown of the metrics below:

Instagram

The 4 accounts with the most follower gains on TikTok also scored the biggest growth on Instagram. Leading the pack, IShowSpeed saw an additional 1.2 million (+4.4%) followers on Instagram, which is close to the number of new followers they received on TikTok (+4.7%).

Also reflecting his stats on TikTok, Dwayne Johnson recorded the lowest percent growth in followers on Instagram (+0.3%) among the top 4, despite getting 1 million new followers. Bad Bunny and MrBeast also had substantial gains in their number of followers.

Overall, 11 accounts gained followers on the platform, while only 3 recorded losses. The categories of the accounts with positive changes are quite varied, while those at the bottom were actors or influencers.

In terms of engagement, Dwayne Johnson again dominated the field — ranking first in absolute gain in average views and comments, first in percentage gain in average comments, and second in percentage gain in average likes.

Dwayne Johnson’s engagement and subscriber growth across platforms is most likely due to a viral video that he posted on January 19. The lighthearted video showed Johnson looking mildly upset as his head was getting “decorated” with makeup and stickers by his young daughters. As of this writing, the video has been viewed 294 million times on Instagram (170.2 million more than on TikTok).

Amazon — which ranked in the top 1 and 2 in percentage gain in average likes and comments, respectively — also has a video that has reached beyond the account’s usual audience. The humorous clip showed a delivery guy struggling to keep a chicken from leaving a garage where he dropped off a package.

The reel performed well on Instagram, racking up 1.3 million views and nearly 36,000 likes. On Facebook, it has received 1.3 million views but isn’t performing as well as the other videos on Amazon’s page. Meanwhile, it hasn’t been posted on TikTok or YouTube as of this writing.

Despite Amazon’s leading percentage change in engagement on Instagram, it’s only middle-of-the-pack in terms of absolute gains. Instead, IShowSpeed came second in absolute changes in engagements — a contrast to his losses on TikTok.

Surprisingly, more accounts suffered engagement losses on Instagram than on TikTok. Over half of the accounts recorded negative changes in average comments, while half did so for average likes.

Accounts lost a combined total of 8.1 million in average likes (versus TikTok’s 7.7 million) and 104,000 in average comments (versus TikTok’s 159,000).

Accounts that lost over a million in average likes include:

• Bruno Mars (-1,160,247)
• Hailey Bieber (-1,303,594)
• MrBeast (-2,031,893)
• Kylie Jenner (-2,392,859)

On the other hand, Khaby Lame is the only creator who lost tens of thousands in average comments.

While the change in Kylie Jenner’s and Khaby Lame’s engagements is somewhat predictable because of their decline in the number of followers, the other 3 accounts displayed a counterintuitive trend.

MrBeast and Bruno Mars lost significant engagement despite being in the top 5 in follower growth, while Hailey Bieber suffered a slump despite holding her follower count steady. DadSocial is another creator who gained followers but lost average likes (-64.0%) and comments (-71.0%).

Notably, Taylor Swift showed a similar stability as on her TikTok account, gaining only 1.6% in average likes. McDonald’s also recorded the same patterns on Instagram and TikTok, with the second-greatest loss in percentage change in average engagement on both platforms.

Meanwhile, some accounts have contradicting stats on the two platforms. Universal Pictures and IGN recorded stable engagement on TikTok but had significant engagement losses on Instagram. DadSocial, on the other hand, fell to the bottom 6 of Instagram engagements after being in the top 2 of TikTok engagements.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the engagement metrics:

Facebook

Only 8 of the accounts included in our study experienced growth on Facebook. Amazon was the only one to lose followers, while the rest maintained stability (Khaby Lame is not present on the platform).

Selena Gomez recorded the most significant gains (+27 million or +45%), with Netflix coming in at second (+14 million). Meanwhile, IShowSpeed had the biggest leap in percentage growth: +371.5% for gaining over 1.8 million new followers.

Notably, Facebook is the only platform where MrBeast, Dwayne Johnson, and Bad Bunny only kept the status quo, despite being 3 of the 4 highest-ranking accounts in TikTok and Instagram growth.

McDonald’s engagement metrics on Facebook are in stark contrast to its performance on TikTok and Instagram. After consistently being at the bottom of the metrics we reviewed on TikTok and Instagram, McDonald’s rose to the top of the list of percentage change in engagement on Facebook — recording +9,963.6% in average likes and +32,725.0% in average comments.

Other accounts that saw a percentage change in engagement of over 1,000% include:

• Ford: +1,041.7% in likes and +1,466.7% in comments
• Netflix: +2,080.9% in likes and +1,446.2% in comments

Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson ranked first in absolute change in engagement, despite not earning any new followers. On the contrary, Selena Gomez recorded no change in average likes — and only +300 (+20.7%) in average comments — despite gaining a substantial number of new followers.

In terms of absolute losses, MrBeast was hit the hardest: -107,500 in average likes and -2,104 in average comments. Will Smith’s engagement metrics also declined (-39,300 likes and -1,919 comments).

Of the 4 platforms we analyzed, Facebook was the only one where Taylor Swift recorded a drop in average likes (-59,000 or -28.8%), even though she maintained a steady follower base. Her comments remained fairly stable at +550 (+1.3%).

The lowest-ranking accounts in terms of percentage change in average engagements include:

• Reuters: -80.8% in likes
• CNBC: -89.6% in likes and -91.7% in comments
• Forbes: -98.0% in likes and -99.6% in comments
• Universal Pictures: -99.8% in likes and -99.9% in comments

Review the breakdown of engagement metrics below:

YouTube

As on TikTok, none of the accounts included in our study lost followers on YouTube. Not surprisingly, the top 5 accounts include a professional YouTuber, a streamer, and 3 musicians.

Out of 30 accounts, 15 saw no change, while the rest saw increments in amounts that are fairly typical for their existing follower base. Only MrBeast stood out, gaining 4 million new followers. Yet, his percentage gain in followers is only 1.2% — lower than Amazon’s 2.4% for getting 19,000 new followers.

Despite the follower stats reflecting patterns seen in other platforms, we observed YouTube engagement to follow a different trend. MrBeast and Bad Bunny still topped the field in absolute gains in average likes and comments, but the top 5 in percentage growth in these metrics are mostly led by news outlets and brands:

• Associated Press: +355.1% in likes and +1,476.2% in comments
• WIRED: +321.7% in likes and +577.4% in comments
• CNN: +207.4% in likes and +35.6% in comments
• McDonald’s: +43.9% in likes and +46.0% in comments
• Amazon: +68.0% in likes

The only outlier is Khaby Lame, getting +100.9% in average comments and ranking 3rd for that metric.

On the other hand, viewership stats were a little more mixed, with musicians like Bad Bunny (+81.6%) and Beyoncé (+52.5%) getting the #2 and #3 spots, respectively, after WIRED (+817.9%) at #1. The rest of the top 10 is also quite balanced:

• McDonald’s (+45.0%)
• Associated Press (+39.4%)
• Ford (+32.5%)
• MrBeast (+20.4%)
• Amazon (+16.0%)
• CNN (+14.7%)
• BTS (+12.3%)

Meanwhile, the middle of the pack (+0.2% to +7.7%) includes 1 actor, 1 streamer, 3 musicians, and 4 influencers. Bruno Mars, despite getting nearly 2 million additional average views, is a part of this group because of his relatively high viewership even before TikTok’s temporary suspension.

Reuters, whose YouTube comments are disabled, saw its worst performance on the platform. It is ranked lowest in terms of percentage change in average views and second only to The Guardian in the biggest percentage loss in average likes.

Netflix and Universal Pictures also recorded a significant dip in all 3 metrics, losing a combined total of over 13,900 in average views, nearly 1,200 in average comments, and more than 311,00 in views. Meanwhile, Marques Brownlee had the biggest absolute decline in all likes, comments, and views.

Other accounts that suffered significant engagement drop across all metrics include:

• IGN: -941 (-57.0%) in likes; -460 (-84.9%) in comments; -38,491 (-74.4%) in views
• CNBC: -5,139 (-70.9%) in likes; -1,549 (-71.2%) in comments; -460,995 (-77.9%) in views
• The Guardian: -4,719 (-91.2%) in likes; -648 (-82.2%) in comments; -233,173 (-92.5%) in views
• BMW: -944 (-79.1%) in likes; -192 (-93.7%) in comments; -479,554 (-98.4%) in views

Browse the full breakdown below:

Overall Trends: Analysis and Insights

TikTok’s temporary suspension highlighted the effectiveness of some well-known social media strategies while uncovering potential pitfalls in others.

First, the growth in Dwayne Johnson’s follower base and engagement across platforms emphasizes the universality of viral videos.

Unlike MrBeast, who posted content directly related to the TikTok ban that spurred his increase in engagement, we saw no activity from Dwayne Johnson that referenced the event in any way. Despite this, his account saw significant activity across platforms. Moreover, the only site where he didn’t earn new followers — Facebook — was the only place where he hadn’t yet posted the popular video.

We also found that news outlets are potentially more popular and successful on TikTok than they are on Instagram.

Of those included in our study, 5 recorded no follower growth on Instagram, despite all 7 seeing gains on TikTok. This could be considered a reflection of TikTok’s role in information dissemination. It also spotlights how such occurrences, despite having a predominantly negative public reception, benefit accounts that focus on event coverage.

The tech coverage category had a more diverse trend. In many instances, 1 of the 3 accounts would land at the top with substantial gains, another would maintain the status quo or rest in the middle of the pack, and the other would record losses.

Meanwhile, we saw no unusual or standout activity from some accounts that gained followers after the ban, such as IShowSpeed. In these cases, we believe the creators’ niche audience allowed their community size to continue growing despite potential disruptions on platforms.

Interestingly, the most stable accounts belonged to celebrities with known large fanbases, such as Taylor Swift and BTS. In fact, Taylor Swift had the most stable stats among all accounts and on all platforms, never going beyond +2.6% in engagement and only once seeing a drop in average likes (Facebook).

Conclusion

Overall, this research confirms that during disruptions on digital platforms and social networking sites, established personalities and brands typically face minimal risk. However, they also have little opportunity to capitalize on potential openings in the market, having already reached most of their target audience.

On the other hand, individual influencers and niche creators are better positioned to spur growth in their accounts, but it’s most effective to find ways to capture users’ attention by sharing content relevant to current events. The same concept applies to media outlets that are able to capitalize on potentially contentious subjects.

Lastly, the temporary suspension highlighted how different platforms, while typically offering the same basic capabilities, won’t necessarily cater to the same categories of content.

For creators, brands, and social media managers, this reinforces the importance of understanding your target audience and meeting them where they are. For example, Facebook remains highly effective for big brands like Amazon and McDonald’s, while Instagram and TikTok are more influencer-friendly.

As social media continues to evolve, understanding these dynamics will be crucial for everyone — from casual users to corporations and policymakers — to navigate and thrive in an ever-changing digital environment.