NEPAL – Nepal has banned China’s TikTok, stating that its content “was detrimental to social harmony.”
The decision comes days after the country introduced a new rule requiring social media firms to set up liaison offices in the country, according to BBC report.
TikTok, which has around a billion monthly users, has been banned by several countries including India.
Earlier this year, Montana became the first US state to ban it while the UK Parliament banned it from its network.
Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud said the app would be banned immediately.
“The government has decided to ban TikTok as it was necessary to regulate the use of the social media platform that was disrupting social harmony, goodwill and flow of indecent materials,” Saud said.
TikTok’s handling of user data has raised global concerns, although its parent company, ByteDance, has denied any data sharing with the Chinese government.
Despite trailing behind Facebook and Instagram, TikTok’s popularity among the youth demographic surpasses its competitors’ growth.