The Supreme Court today heard oral arguments in the high stakes TikTok case, reviewing a federal law that would ban the use of the popular social media app in the U.S. starting January 19th.

That's if TikTok doesn't divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

It's all over concerns that the Chinese government is manipulating content and the way it collects data on American users.

As senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports, after more than two hours of oral arguments, justices appear likely to uphold it for 170 million Americans who use Tik Tok.

Today's top influencer was the U.S. Supreme Court, and the nine justices seemed inclined to uphold a controversial ban on the popular social media platform over national security issues posed by its Chinese owner, ByteDance.

Justice Kavanaugh discussed the government's concerns over a foreign adversary that China was accessing information about millions of Americans, tens of millions of Americans, including teenagers, people in their 20s, that they would use that information over time to develop spies, to turn people to blackmail people, people who, a generation from now be working in the FBI or the CIA.

Setting not a realistic assessment by Congress and the president of the risks here.

Your honor, I'm not disputing the risks.

It's got.

At least consider the consequences of shutting down a speech platform used by 170 million Americans.

TikTok argued it could place disclaimers on the website alerting users about potential foreign influencers and enforcing severe penalties for sharing information that a ban would violate users freedom of expression.

The government itself is here saying national security.

So like a mix of cat videos or dance videos doesn't affect national security.

No matter what happens, the only thing that can affect data security I'm sorry, national security are the substance of those videos.

And when the government's pressed in its briefing, it outright tells you that it says what we're really worried about is sowing doubts about US leaders.

Congress doesn't care about what's on TikTok.

They don't care about the expression that's shown by the remedy.

They're not saying TikTok has to stop.

You're saying, does Chinese have to stop controlling?

Tik Tok justices noted foreign companies do not have First Amendment rights.

TikTok got until January 19th to divest itself from ByteDance under the law.

TikTok's attorneys are tangled with the court over what might happen if the company fails to act.

At least as I understand it, we go dark.

Essentially, the platform shuts down unless there's a divestiture, unless there's a divestiture, unless President Trump exercises his authority to extend it by night.

But but he can't do that.

On January 19th, the law doesn't say TikTok has to shut down.

It says ByteDance has to divest.

If ByteDance divested TikTok, we wouldn't be here, right?

You're wrong about the statute being read.

Is saying TikTok.

You have to go mute because TikTok can continue to operate on its own algorithm on its own terms, as long as it's not associated with ByteDance.

TikTok argues it can't successfully maintain the algorithm without ByteDance.

But observers don't see US sympathetic court that has huge implications for, you know, everyone who uses TikTok not just creators, but anyone who kind of receives content on it.

And I think the idea that, you know, this really doesn't threaten, the First Amendment rights of the millions of Americans that use TikTok is really concerning for Jersey entrepreneurs like Skip Chapman, who launched a huge market for his coffee scented deodorant products on TikTok.

Switching platforms is problematic.

TikTok is his marketplace partner and promoter that's grown his business for us, for people that are actually trying to make a living living for their families, for the 7 million US based businesses that are doing this.

We're much more than Cat videos and dance videos.

I'm very frustrated that it keeps we keep talking about a threat, but we don't know what that threat is.

Whether TikTok, the court discussed a possible administer stay to delay the ban until the next administration can deal with it.

The president elect opposes the ban.

The clock is ticking for TikTok.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.