Nepal Bans TikTok, Citing Disruption to Social Harmony
Nepal has become the latest country to ban the popular short video app TikTok, citing concerns about its impact on social structures in the South Asian nation. The decision was announced by Rekha Sharma, Nepal’s minister of communication and information technology, at a press conference on Monday.
“Considering how TikTok is disrupting our social harmony, and the impact it’s having on our family and social structures, the cabinet has decided to ban TikTok for the moment,” Sharma stated.
The ban comes after more than 1,600 TikTok-related cyber crime cases were registered over the last four years in Nepal, leading to rising demand to control the app. The country’s Telecommunications Authority has ordered internet service providers to cut access to the app, with WorldLink Communications, the largest internet service provider in the country, already complying with the order.
Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal defended the decision, stating that a consensus was reached among all political parties on the need to control the spread of disharmony, disorder, and chaos in society.
This move follows India’s ban on TikTok more than three years ago, where the app had an estimated 120 million users. The United States and its Five Eyes intelligence alliance partners have also placed restrictions on the use of TikTok on government-issued devices.
TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant Bytedance, has faced increasing scrutiny and restrictions from various governments around the world. As of now, the company has not released a statement regarding Nepal’s ban on the app.