On May 15, 2025, TikTok experienced a widespread outage that left tens of thousands of users globally unable to access the popular video-sharing platform. Reports of the disruption began surfacing around 4:15 p.m. EDT, with users flocking to other social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to confirm the issue and share their frustration.

According to DownDetector, a website that tracks user-reported outages, the number of complaints peaked at over 32,000 around 4:45 p.m. EDT. While the number of reports decreased to around 13,300 by 5:30 p.m. EDT, many users continued to experience disruptions. By 8 p.m. ET, services were largely restored, though some users still encountered minor issues as the platform fully recovered. The last outage detected for TikTok was on May 15, 2025, with a duration of about 3 hours.

The outage manifested in various ways. Approximately 79% of user complaints related to problems with the app itself, including app crashes, videos failing to load, and blank feeds. Another 20% of reports cited server connection issues, while only 1% experienced problems accessing the TikTok website. Some users reported being logged out of the app or stuck on a frozen home screen. Many users saw their videos, user pages, following feeds, and For You Page displaying zero likes and views.

The cause of the outage remained unclear for some time. TikTok did not immediately release an official statement regarding the issue. However, a TikTok spokesperson later attributed the problems to higher-than-normal traffic on the company's servers in Virginia, which led to temporary service disruptions. Technology analysts suggested that the outage may have been caused by backend or cloud service disruptions, or a software glitch. The app was partially restored within an hour, indicating that engineers were able to quickly mitigate the issue.

The outage sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with users turning to X to express their frustration and share memes about the situation. Some users jokingly speculated about the cause of the outage, with some even fearing that TikTok had been banned again without warning.

The TikTok outage serves as a reminder of the fragility of digital infrastructure and the potential for disruptions to impact a massive audience. With nearly 170 million users in the United States alone, TikTok has become an important source of income, community, and entertainment for many.

This outage is not an isolated incident. Other major platforms, including Reddit and Meta (Facebook and Instagram), have experienced similar outages in recent months. These incidents raise concerns about the reliability of digital infrastructure as demand continues to grow.

For users experiencing issues with TikTok, troubleshooting steps include checking their internet connection, restarting the app, updating the app, and clearing the app's cache. If problems persist, contacting TikTok support may provide further assistance.