While initially hugely loved around the world, the social media app TikTok began to come under increased scrutiny from several nations. This came to a head when countries like India officially banned the app along with some Chinese counterparts back in 2020. However, the damage has not stopped, as it is now confirmed that Nepal has banned TikTok for reasons we will discuss below.

On November 13, Nepal officially decided to ban TikTok in a cabinet meeting held with several heads of government. Initially reported by the NYT, the news comes out of a report that mentions that TikTok is affecting "social harmony" with its refusal to curb hateful content. This is linked to a recent rule the country introduced requiring social media companies to open a liaison office in Nepal.

Nepal's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, spoke to various media organizations about the situation. Sharma told BBC Nepali that "the platform was spreading malicious content."

According to local media reports, 1600+ TikTok related cyber crime cases have been registered in the country. The minister said: "The ban would come into effect immediately, and telecom authorities have been asked to implement the decision." Nepal Telecom Authority chief Purushottam Khanal confirmed to Reuters that "some have already closed while others will do so later today".