The Google and Apple app stores have deleted the option to download TikTok, a popular app for people to share videos of their own. Soon after the Madras High Court declared the ban, the issue was viral on social media.

There are various reasons for the ban of TikTok in India.

The main reason being, children who are followers of the famous app are vulnerable to pornography. Also, there are reports of many cases where people have hurt themselves very seriously while making videos for TikTok. Some of these serious injuries even resulted in deaths.

India Today reported a most recent case that took place in April 2019.

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• A 19-year-old boy, Salman Zakir, was accidentally shot by his friend Sohail in the cheek while trying to make a TikTok video. The shooting ultimately resulted in the death of Salman and his other two friends were arrested for the incident.
• In February 2019, a college student from Tamil Nadu died as his scooter rammed into a bus. Three students, Surya, Reagan, and Vignesh were having a joyride on a scooter while one of the pavilion riders was making a TikTok video. It is evident in the video that the bike lost balance and smashed into a bus resulting in the death of one of the three.
• One more TikTok incident, that was way more disturbing, took place in Punjab in January 2019. While trying to make a TikTok video, a man lost his life in the accident. In the video, a farmer is seen trying to get on a moving tractor which has a cultivator attached to it. The man’s foot slips and instead of climbing on the tractor he ends up under the tire of the tractor and ultimately dying under the cultivator machine.
• Earlier in October 2018, Kalaiyarasan, a resident of Vyasarpady in Chennai used to release videos in women’s clothes on his TikTok account. The backlash on those videos by his TikTok followers became so harsh that Kalaiyarasan ended up committing suicide.

Such incidents have left the society to question on why is there a crazy need for the app? Especially, youngsters get manipulated and addicted on sharing their videos. All they are concerned is about likes and comments. On the other hand, women expose their body sexually urging for physical attention.

TikTok had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India. More than 30 million users installed the app in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year. Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the app's platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters; some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music.

The high court asked the government on April 3rd to ban TikTok downloads, saying it encouraged pornography and warning that sexual predators could target child users. The government sent a letter requesting Apple and Google to follow the state court's order and not allow TikTok download, according to an IT ministry official.

Google blocked access to TikTok download in its Play store in India to comply with the court's directive. TikTok app was not available for download in the Google Play Store or Apple's App Store on Wednesday – 17th April onwards.

Google said in a statement it does not comment on individual apps but adheres to local laws. Apple did not respond to requests for comment. According to NDTV, a spokesman for TikTok in India declined to comment on the app's removal, saying the matter was still in the courts.

TikTok had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India. More than 30 million users installed the app in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year. Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the app's platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters; some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music.