The Chinese-owned platform is under growing Western scrutiny, and Canada's move came just hours after the European Commission banned the app from all employees' work devices to "protect" the institution.

Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner said it had launched a joint probe into TikTok alongside provincial privacy regulators from Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta.

The investigation was initiated "in the wake of now-settled class-action lawsuits in the United States and Canada, as well as numerous media reports related to TikTok's collection, use and disclosure of personal information," a statement said.

The probe aims to establish "whether the organization's practices are in compliance with Canadian privacy legislation."

The privacy regulators said many of the social network's users are younger, and there is a greater "importance of protecting children's privacy."

The massively popular video-sharing platform, owned by Chinese giant ByteDance, has come under increasing scrutiny from the West over concerns that Beijing could access user data from around the world.

The US Congress passed a ban on downloading TikTok for most government devices, which President Joe Biden signed in late December, and momentum is building among lawmakers to broaden it even further.

Relations between China and Canada have deteriorated sharply in recent years, particularly after Canada arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou at the request of the United States in 2018.

TikTok's breakneck rise from niche video-sharing app to global social media behemoth has brought plenty of scrutiny, particularly over its links to China.

              

Global action against TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, kicked off in earnest in India in 2020.

It was among the Chinese apps barred after deadly clashes on the border between the two countries, with New Delhi saying it was defending its sovereignty.

The same year, US President Donald Trump threatened a ban and accused TikTok of spying for China -- an idea that has gained ground in Washington.

TikTok was forced to admit ByteDance employees in China had accessed Americans' data but it has always denied turning over data to the Chinese authorities.

The company has moved to soothe US fears, announcing in June 2022 that it would store all data on American users on US-based servers.

However, in January US federal employees were banned from downloading the app, with the European Commission following suit on Thursday to "protect the institution's data", it said.

Bans have not halted TikTok's growth.

With more than one billion active users it is the sixth most used social platform in the world, according to the We Are Social marketing agency.

Although it lags behind the likes of Meta's long-dominant trio of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, its growth among young people far outstrips its competitors.

Almost a third of TikTok users are between 10 and 19 years old, according to the Wallaroo agency.

Its rapid rise saw it grab more than $11 billion in advertising revenue last year, a threefold increase in a single year.

TikTok's competitors quickly copied its short video format and continuous scrolling, but to little avail.