23 countries have banned TikTok worldwide so far, citing the app’s ownership by China’s company ByteDance and having numerous security concerns.
Multiple private businesses and government agencies have restricted or plan to limit the use of TikTok in the public and governmental sectors, leading to either complete bans, partial bans, or restrictions for users.
Let’s review all the countries that have banned TikTok due to these concerns. We’ll also discuss on what grounds the app was banned and if it can make a comeback as the most favorite social media platform.
TikTok Banned Countries List In 2026
23 countries have banned TikTok, including Albania, Somalia, Ireland, India, etc.
Here is a quick overview of the countries that have banned TikTok, the year they banned it, and the nature of the ban:
| Sr.No | Country | Year Banned | Nature of Ban |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albania | March 2025 | 1 Year Ban |
| 2 | Somalia | August 2023 | Complete Ban |
| 3 | Ireland | April 2023 | Government devices |
| 4 | United States | April 2023 | Partial state-wise ban |
| 5 | Australia | March 2023 | Banned on government-issued devices |
| 6 | France | March 2023 | Partial Ban |
| 7 | Estonia | March 2023 | Partial Ban |
| 8 | United Kingdom | March 2023 | Partial Ban |
| 9 | Belgium | March 2023 | Partial Ban |
| 10 | Norway | March 2023 | Partial Ban |
| 11 | Denmark | March 2023 | Partial Ban |
| 12 | Latvia | March 2023 | Partial Ban |
| 13 | Afghanistan | March 2023 | Complete Ban |
| 14 | New Zealand | March 2023 | Partial Ban |
| 15 | Jordan | December 2022 | Ban lifted |
| 16 | Netherlands | November 2022 | Partial Ban |
| 17 | Taiwan | January 2022 | Complete Ban |
| 18 | Bangladesh | August 2021 | Complete Ban |
| 19 | Pakistan | July 2021 | Ban Lifted |
| 20 | Armenia | October 2020 | Banned by service provider |
| 21 | Azerbaijan | September 2020 | Banned by service provider |
| 22 | India | April 2020 | Complete Ban |
| 23 | Indonesia | July 2018 | Complete Ban |
Demandsage bonus read: For more comprehensive details about TikTok, its market share, and more, amidst the ban in major countries, check our post on TikTok stats and trends.
TikTok Ban In the USA 2025 Update
The current deadline for ByteDance to comply with the requirements of selling their US operations or face a nationwide ban is September 17th, 2025.
Given that President Trump has also extended the deadlines for ByteDance in the past, the current situation of TikTok in the USA remains uncertain.
On January 18, 2025, just a day before the legal deadline, TikTok had halted its services in the United States. However, the following day, after President-elect Trump indicated he would extend the deadline upon taking office, the platform resumed operations.
TikTok experienced an outage in the US for approximately two hours. However, the 75-day extension soon resumed the services. You can now access TikTok, but whether this is a permanent change or the ban will be reinstated is still unknown. We’ll keep this article updated as soon as new information becomes available.
Why are countries banning TikTok?
The primary reasons for these countries banning TikTok are data security, the spread of misinformation, and the effect on the mental health of users.
TikTok tracks the content of your direct messages, your country location, your IP address, and your device type. When you consent, the platform can also collect your exact location, contacts, age, and phone number.
Though every other app gathers this data or even more from the users, the main concern is where this data is stored.
TikTok’s user data was observed to be collected and stored on servers located in its home country, China, which raised alarms in other countries about national security.
TikTok, which originated in China, has always been in the headlines regarding user data safety.
The platform has been alleged to sell user data to the Chinese government, and many countries have viewed this as a national threat and promptly banned TikTok.
TikTok is also known to spread and promote addictive or inappropriate content that does not align well with some countries’ values. In addition, the platform also had content that was not so safe for children, and it has drastically affected the mental health of people.
1. Albania
In March 2025, Albania became the first European nation to implement a nationwide complete ban on TikTok for 1 year, shifting the conversation from national security to youth safety.
The move was triggered by a tragic event in November 2024, when a 14-year-old student was fatally stabbed by a peer near a school in Tirana. The Albanian government alleged that the dispute originated and was fueled by content on TikTok.
2. Somalia
Somalia banned TikTok in August 2023, along with other social media and online betting apps.
TikTok was banned in Somalia because of the explicit content and violent extremism going around the app.
The ban has affected the young creators in Somalia since they considered TikTok a source of income.
3. Ireland
On 21st April 2023, the cybersecurity center in Ireland issued a policy for the official public sector devices. The official said that they are cornered about how the data will be used and how it may be transmitted.
4. United States
At least 34 of the 50 states have announced or enforced restrictions on state government agencies, staff, and employees using TikTok on government-issued devices as of April 2023.
State bans only apply to government personnel and do not prevent people from downloading or using the app on their personal devices.
5. Australia
68 Australian federal agencies banned TikTok on 7th March 2023 on all work-related phones.
James Paterson (Liberal Party Senator) proposed a TikTok ban on all government-related devices.
South Wales was reported to be the first state to impose a ban on TikTok on 14 March 2023. After three days, it was followed by Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
6. France
France’s government banned all social media and recreational apps on the mobile phones of all government workers, numbered 2.5 million civil servants.
This step was taken in March 2023 to ensure and tighten the cybersecurity of the country and its civil servants.
7. Estonia
On 29 March 2023, the TikTok App was banned on all central devices in Estonia. The minister of IT and Foreign Trade, Kristjan Järvan, announced that they won’t be looking into the citizens’ activity on their personal devices using the app.
8. United Kingdom
In March 2023, the UK government banned the use of TikTok on the electronic devices of ministers and other government employees due to security concerns about handling their personal data.
In the same month, the BBC also ordered its employees to delete their TikTok accounts.
9. Belgium
In March 2023, Belgium took a step to ban TikTok from all federal work devices of employees working in the government sector or with the government. This action ensured cybersecurity and privacy, and prevented the spread of misinformation through the app.
10. Norway
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr decided to restrict TikTok from all the work phones and tablets used by ministers, political advisors, and secretaries. This ban was imposed in March 2023 on advice received from the National Security Authority.
11. Denmark
The Ministry of Defence took the initiative to block TikTok on all the work devices of government officials in Denmark on March 29, 2023. This was done to maintain and tighten the country’s security and avoid any loopholes in the cybersecurity of the officials.
12. Latvia
The Latvian government banned TikTok on the work mobiles of government employees.
This ban was imposed in March 2023 by the Latvian Ministry of Affairs, citing security reasons for the confidential information.
13. Afghanistan
In April 2022, the Taliban government banned TikTok for ‘misleading the younger generation.’ A spokesperson further added that the platform’s content did not fit Islamic laws.
14. New Zealand
On 7 March 2023, TikTok was banned in New Zealand for cybersecurity reasons. The New Zealand Parliament banned the app, reflecting advice from the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), the country’s signals intelligence agency.
15. Jordan
On 17th December 2022, a temporary ban was announced by the Jordanian government in response to the death of a police officer while clashing with the protesters.
The platform’s misuse and unwillingness to handle posts advocating violence and disruption were one major reason for the ban.
However, the government lifted the ban after a week. Though authorities threatened to reinstate the ban several times due to regulation compliance and safety concerns.
16. Netherlands
In November 2022, government officials were restricted from using TikTok until it adjusted its data protection policy. The Ministry of General Affairs advised the ban for the safety of users from any kind of data breach.
17. Taiwan
Taiwan banned TikTok from the devices of public sector workers to strengthen their security.
After the FBI’s warning about TikTok posing as a national threat, this ban in 2022 was made over the government’s concern about the Chinese government conducting cognitive warfare against Taiwan.
18. Bangladesh
In August 2021, Bangladesh banned apps like TikTok, PUBG, and FreeFire on a high court order.
It labeled these apps as ‘dangerous and harmful’ and claimed that children must be saved from moral and social degradation.
In 2018, Bangladesh restricted the TikTok app’s internet access as part of its movement for the removal of pornography and gambling sites.
19. Pakistan
In the past 15 months, from October 2020 to November 2021, Pakistan imposed 4 bans on TikTok and lifted them again. These bans were due to the inappropriate content posted on the platform.
The following table displays the ban, its reason, and the removal of the ban.
| Date | Status of Ban |
|---|---|
| October 2020 | Ban was reversed ten days later |
| March 2021 | April 2021 |
| 30 June 2021 | 3 July 2021 |
| 20 July 2021 | 30 June 2021 |
As of 2026, TikTok is completely accessible in Pakistan.
20. Armenia
In October 2020, the TikTok app was reported to lose functionality.
However, the reason for this loss of function is supposed to be the interference of the Armenian government in response to the Azerbaijani government spreading misinformation related to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
21. Azerbaijan
On 27th September 2020, Azerbaijan residents noticed restricted services on applications like TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
According to the government, the imposition of these bans was due to the unethical provocation by Armenia during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In addition, the ban was enforced to prevent users from spreading unverified, false, and unofficial information.
22. India
On 17 April, TikTok was removed from both Apple and Google app stores, citing that it encouraged pornography and inappropriate behavior. However, the ban was removed on 25th April after the app removed more than 6 million videos that violated the content guidelines and policy.
Again, on 29 June 2020, India banned the usage of TikTok for all residents during the military clash between India and China on the shared border.
The main reason for the ban was the fact that Chinese applications were storing user data on the servers located in China.
India stated that the app was banned to protect the security of 1.3 billion citizens.
In late August 2025, two major incidents fueled speculation that the TikTok ban in India would be lifted amid rising geopolitical tensions.
The first incident supporting this was when a few users could access the TikTok website after years of ban. The next immediate incident that happened on 31st August, 2025, was the company posting two job hiring requirements on LinkedIn.
If the TikTok ban in India is raised, it can create a significant impact on the current social media playfield, given the massive amount of users it can gain!
23. Indonesia
Indonesia banned TikTok on 3 July 2018 to stop children from accessing pornography and inappropriate content posted on the app.
Rudiantara, the Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information, added that they could remove the ban in response to the company promising to remove the harmful content and guarantee to maintain clean content.
In October 2023, Indonesia also banned e-commerce transactions on social platforms like TikTok and Facebook in regard to the country’s new rules.
Bonus Reads: Check out TikTok Ad Revenue for more insights and information on TikTok.
Countries are Banning Social Media Apps for Teenagers Under 16
On December 10, 2025, Australia announced a complete ban on social media apps for kids and teenagers under 16. Social media apps like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, X, Snapchat, and many other apps may leave a bad influence on kids. Though WhatsApp and YouTube Kids are not included in the list.
Australia became the first country to do so, and other countries are following the same footsteps. Some notable countries are Denmark, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Slovenia, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom.
Companies that failed to comply with these ban rules might face penalties up to $34.2 million USD ($49.5 million AUD). Other countries will follow the penalty rule very soon.
Source: TechCrunch
Conclusion: TikTok is Banned in 23 Countries
TikTok is currently banned in 23 countries, and the list may grow further if it does not address the cited security concerns. India, Albania, Ireland, Taiwan, Somalia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Afghanistan have completely blocked the app, while it is partially banned in the remaining countries mentioned above.
It will be interesting to see whether any country will lift the TikTok ban or impose further restrictions on the app, especially the USA and India.
If you are interested in learning more about recent developments, you can visit our website.
FAQs
TikTok is banned in 23 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. However, it is fully banned in two countries: India and Afghanistan.
TikTok is banned in the government bodies of 34 states in the United States. At the same time, Montana has become the first state in the United States to impose a ban on personal devices.
TikTok was developed and launched by the Chinese company ByteDance. However, it is not accessible in China itself.
TikTok restricts children below the age of 18 from using the app, as the content may provide them with an inappropriate message.
TikTok is being banned from most countries due to cybersecurity reasons and data protection.
