TikTok

The viral video app gets more hits than even the ubiquitous American search engine, according to Cloudflare, an IT security company.

The rankings show that TikTok knocked Google off the top spot in February, March and June this year, and has held the number one position since August.

Last year Google was first, and a number of sites including TikTok, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix were all in the top 10.

Cloudfare said it tracks data using its tool Cloudflare Radar, which monitors web traffic.

The girl had been reported missing by her parents in North Carolina on Tuesday morning, and was spotted inside a car in Kentucky two days later.

The 16-year-old used the gesture designed to help domestic abuse victims ask for help to alert a passing driver.

Authorities say they arrested a 61-year-old man.

The rules will apply to users under 14, who have been authenticated using their real names, and who will be able to access it between 06:00 and 22:00.

Parent company Bytedance announced the app’s Youth Mode in a blog post, saying it is the first short-video company in the industry to have these limits.

It comes as China cracks down on teenagers' use of technology.

According to Douyin's user agreement there is no minimum age on the platform, but under 18s must obtain the consent of a legal guardian. On sister app TikTok the minimum age is 13.

The watchdog is looking into its processing of children's personal data, and whether TikTok is in line with EU laws about transferring personal data to other countries, such as China.

TikTok said privacy was "our highest priority".

The Irish DPC said it was specifically looking into GDPR-related issues.

These are the EU privacy laws which can potentially lead to enormous fines of up to 4% of a company's global turnover.

The Chinese video-sharing platform is the only app not owned by Facebook to make the global top five of downloads.

In its home country, TikTok's owner ByteDance also holds the top spot with the Chinese language video app Douyin.

TikTok's continued popularity emerged even after former US President Donald Trump tried to ban it in America.

Facebook-owned apps have held the top spot since the survey started in 2018 and the company still dominated the chart.

TikTok Stories will allow users to see content posted by accounts they follow for 24 hours before they are deleted.

It comes as WhatsApp rolls out a feature for users to post photos or videos that vanish after they are seen.

This week rival social media platform Twitter shut down its Fleets disappearing stories feature.

TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, told the BBC: "We're always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience."

The video-sharing platform said the profiles accounted for fewer than 1% of global users.

Children aged 13 and over are allowed to use the platform, which is highly popular with teenagers.

This is the first time TikTok has published such figures in a Community Guidelines Enforcement Report.

It said it hoped the detail about under-age users will "help the industry push forward when it comes to transparency and accountability around user safety".

The ban faced a series of legal challenges and never came into force.

Instead, the US Department of Commerce will now review apps designed and developed by those in "the jurisdiction of a foreign adversary", such as China.

It should use an "evidence-based approach" to see if they pose a risk to US national security, Mr Biden said.

TikTok did not offer comment on the news.

Mr Trump ordered the ban on new downloads of the viral video app TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm Bytedance, in 2020.

Adverts show how the apps can be used to alter body parts, including making waists slimmer and adding muscles.

Eating disorder charities have said technology firms should consider the impact on vulnerable people.

The platforms said the apps did not break advertising guidance, but TikTok added it does reviews its policies.

It said it is “continually looking to enhance” its framework to “support a body-positive environment”.

The social media platform, popular with teenagers, banned adverts for fasting apps and weight loss supplements last year.

New features include the ability to change the youngster's settings remotely to block them from carrying out searches, and to prevent strangers from seeing their posts.

Children can still override these limitations but not without their parents being told.

The action comes a fortnight after BBC Panorama raised safety concerns.

The documentary highlighted how predators have abused the platform's recommendation engine to target some of its youngest users.