What’s the News?
Social media giant TikTok experienced a significant, albeit temporary, outage on Thursday morning, May 15, 2025. Tens of thousands of users, primarily in the United States but also reported in other regions like the UK, found themselves unable to access the app, load videos, or refresh their “For You” pages. Reports of the outage peaked around 9 AM ET before gradually declining, indicating service restoration.
The Outage in Detail
On Thursday morning, a wave of frustration swept across the TikTok user base as the popular short-form video application became unresponsive for many. Downdetector, a website that tracks online service outages, recorded a sharp spike in user-generated problem reports.
- Peak Reports: At its height around 9:00 AM Eastern Time (ET), Downdetector showed over 32,000 to 34,000 individual reports of issues with TikTok.
- Common Problems Reported: Users encountering the outage detailed several consistent problems:
- App Not Loading: Many users stated the app wouldn’t open or load content at all.
- Videos Not Playing: A significant number reported that videos were not playing or were stuck on an infinite loading screen.
- “For You” Page Issues: The algorithmically curated “For You” page, a cornerstone of the TikTok experience, was reportedly not refreshing or showing new content.
- Server Connection Problems: Some users received messages indicating issues connecting to TikTok’s servers.
- Profile Access: Difficulties in accessing user profiles were also noted.
User Reaction: Taking to Other Platforms
As is common during outages of major social media platforms, affected TikTok users quickly migrated to other sites, particularly X (formerly Twitter), to voice their concerns, share memes about the situation, and verify if the problem was widespread. Hashtags related to the outage, like #TikTokDown, began trending as users sought information and solidarity.
Geographic Impact
While the bulk of the reports on Downdetector.com originated from users in the United States, The Independent also noted that users in the United Kingdom were among those affected, suggesting a broader, though perhaps less concentrated, international impact.
Current Status and Company Response
By late Thursday morning, the number of outage reports on Downdetector had significantly decreased, suggesting that TikTok engineers had largely resolved the underlying issues and restored service for most users.
As of the time of reporting, TikTok had not yet issued an official public statement detailing the cause of the widespread outage or the specific measures taken to rectify it. Forbes noted that TikTok did not immediately respond to their request for comment.
Background: The Scope of TikTok
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, boasts over a billion active users globally and has become a cultural phenomenon, particularly among younger demographics. Its algorithm-driven content delivery system keeps users engaged for extended periods.
Outages on platforms of this scale, while disruptive, are not entirely uncommon in the tech world. They can be caused by a variety of factors, including server issues, software bugs during updates, or problems with third-party infrastructure. Typically, tech companies work swiftly to identify and resolve such problems to minimize user impact.
What We Know So Far:
| Detail | Information |
| Platform Affected | TikTok |
| Date of Outage | Thursday, May 15, 2025 |
| Peak Time of Reports | Around 9:00 AM ET |
| Peak User Reports | Over 32,000 (according to Downdetector) |
| Primary Issues | App not loading, videos not playing, “For You” page |
| Affected Regions | Primarily US, reports from UK and other areas |
| Current Status | Largely resolved, reports significantly declined |
| TikTok Official Comment | Not yet released |
This incident highlights the reliance users place on major social media platforms and the immediate widespread attention that service disruptions can attract.
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