TikTok influencers face up to the future, say ‘everyone is going to lose’ and ‘it’s going to hurt’

Influencers at a TikTok house in the US who spend their days trying out new ideas for short-form videos contemplate a future without the viral Chinese app

A rueful 27-year-old says ‘everyone is going to take a big hit’, while a teenager wishes ‘they understood TikTok really does have an impact on our generation’

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Influencers living at the TikTok house Kids Next Door in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, including Adam Miguest (left), Claire Hesser (second from left) and Hailey Orona (right). Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:15am, 2 Sep 2020Updated: 5:56am, 2 Sep 2020

In a luxury mansion in the Hollywood Hills, young TikTok influencers bounced around on a bright sunny morning trying out new ideas for zany short form videos that they hope will go viral.

They’re also feeling concerned about their future.

Kids Next Door LA is one of a number of TikTok houses set up around the United States where teens live, sleep and brainstorm creative ideas for dance and music videos and seek deals with brands that can bring in millions of dollars for the top influencers.

But their livelihoods are now at risk from an executive order by US President Donald Trump that will effectively ban the social media app if its Chinese parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it by mid-September. New Chinese rules requiring government approval for technology exports could complicate or delay any deal.

Adam Miguest says “I think it’s really stupid … what Trump is doing”. Photo: Reuters

“For two to five months, maybe, everybody is going to take a big hit. Everyone is going to lose a stream of revenue. I think it’s really stupid … what Trump is doing,” said Adam Miguest 27, known on TikTok as @itsadamm, who is one of the seven influencers at the house.

Walmart said last week that it was joining Microsoft in a bid for TikTok’s US assets. ByteDance is expected soon to pick a bidder to enter into exclusive talks, but it’s not clear how any deal would affect the future of the quirky videos that are loved by millions and those who make them.