Nepal's government has announced it will ban Chinese video-sharing app TikTok, saying it's threatening social harmony and disrupting family ties.
This comes at a time when its neighbor, China, has been trying to expand its influence in the Himalayan nation.
The decision was made at a cabinet meeting on Monday. Police say that more than 1,600 TikTok-related offenses have been reported in Nepal over the last four years.
But opposition parties have criticized the government's move. They say some regulations on the app should be implemented, but that shutting down a particular social media platform is not fair.
Political analyst Chandra Dev Bhatta says that the main reason behind the government's decision is to limit the influence of new political parties that make widespread use of social media to gain voter support.
India, also neighboring Nepal, banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps in 2020, amid growing tensions sparked by a deadly border clash with China.