Has Any Country Actually Banned TikTok?

The long debate over banning TikTok in the United States held the world’s attention for several years. TikTok users in America worried about whether they’d have access to the social media platform, of course, but users across the globe were concerned about what a US ban would mean for the app’s operations.

Since nothing has seemingly changed, it would be natural for people to assume that no country has banned TikTok as of yet. That’s not true.

In fact, the app has been banned in America — but no action is being taken just yet. The White House has ordered a stay on enforcement while negotiations to sell TikTok’s US operations to an American owner supposedly continue.

Meanwhile, TikTok has been banned in some other countries, and those bans predate the highly publicized American one.

Let’s learn more.

The Status of America’s TikTok Ban

TikTok has been banned from all US government phones and devices since December 2019, and a complete prohibition of TikTok usage in the United States was hotly debated over the following five years. A law regulating the platform was finally passed in early 2025, requiring TikTok to cease American operations unless they were sold to US owners.

The reasons behind the ban, as most people now know, were based on concerns about the Chinese company that owns the app. China’s government has the legal right to seize all of TikTok’s user data, and US officials worried that the platform could be used for foreign influence and espionage purposes as well.

Once the American law was passed, it was ruled constitutional by the nation’s Supreme Court and was due to take effect on January 19, 2025. However, President Trump issued a series of executive orders in the following months that delayed enforcement of the law, and it remains in abeyance as TikTok and US buyers allegedly negotiate a potential sale.

As of this writing, TikTok is still legally banned in America — but still remains available to all US users until the issue is finally resolved.

TikTok Bans in Other Nations

The same concerns about possible use of TikTok to compromise national security have led to bans on the app’s installation and use on government devices in many other countries, including Canada, the UK, the European Union, France, Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands, Latvia, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Nearly a dozen countries have instituted complete TikTok bans or blocks, but not all of them cite national security issues. Here’s the most recent list, along with their rationales.

• Afghanistan: Content that doesn’t align with Islamic law and “misleads the younger generation.”
• Albania: Youth violence allegedly triggered by content on the app.
• Bangladesh: Worries about data security and inappropriate content.
• India: Data security and privacy concerns; China and India have had periodic border clashes.
• Iran: Most social apps are banned in the nation.
• Kyrgyzstan: Concerns about potential impact on children’s mental health.
• Nepal: Claims of spreading malicious content and disrupting social harmony.
• Pakistan: TikTok Bans are regularly implemented and discontinued because of “immoral and indecent” content.
• Somalia: Worries about extremist content and indecent material.
• South Sudan: A TikTok ban in this troubled nation was most recently lifted, but may be reinstituted.
• Uzbekistan: Non-compliance with laws regulating data protection.

Finally, TikTok has never been available in China. Its parent company, ByteDance, has operated a similar app (Douyin) in its home country since 2016, and Chinese users can only access that platform. TikTok was later created for use outside of China, mirroring Douyin’s features without the same strict content restrictions and censorship that Chinese Douyin users face.

What’s the eventual fate of the US TikTok ban? Legally, something “has to happen,” but there’s no indication when and what type of resolution will be reached.