NYC Mayor Mamdani Reverses TikTok Ban for City Agencies, Citing Social Media's Power for Public Communication

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has reversed a 2023 directive by former mayor Eric Adams that barred TikTok from government-owned devices, allowing city agencies to resume posting on the platform under strict new security protocols.

The reversal comes after Mamdani's social media-fueled mayoral campaign demonstrated TikTok's extraordinary reach. A single Mamdani Instagram video about emergency weather preparedness generated 32,000 new NotifyNYC subscribers in four days — approaching the 48,000 subscribers gained through a $240,000 advertising campaign the previous year.

Under the new rules, agencies must use separate government-issued devices dedicated solely to TikTok that cannot contain sensitive data, be used for email or internal systems, or access privileged networks. Only designated media and press office staff may operate the accounts using city government email addresses.

The original ban was enacted when TikTok was still owned by ByteDance and deemed a national security risk. In January 2026, TikTok finalized a deal with the Trump administration resolving some of those concerns.

"In a fragmented media landscape, more and more people — especially younger people — are looking beyond television to stay informed," Mamdani said. "Our responsibility is simple: Meet people where they are."

The policy shift affects previously shuttered accounts for departments including Sanitation and Parks and Recreation, which had been inactive since August 2023.