TikTok has been banned on government networks and devices in the US, Canada and the European Union. But are the moves having any effect?

When TikTok would not load on her university's wi-fi network earlier this year, student Liz Barr was stymied - but not for long.

She soon figured out ways around the block using personal mobile data or a virtual private network (VPN). The block had been introduced after state officials in Maryland banned the video app on government networks, citing national security concerns.

"I was annoyed, because I live here and I get bored," says the 18-year-old, who is studying computer science and creative writing at St Mary's College of Maryland. "But now it works, so it's not that big of a problem."

The workaround shows the quandary facing the US and other countries as they threaten to crack down on TikTok, which has exploded in global popularity in recent years offering an endless feed of user-generated makeup tutorials, life hacks, silly dances, and other confessionals curated by algorithm.

Rumbling against the social media platform, which is owned by the Chinese tech giant ByteDance and has more than one billion users globally, has reached new pitch in recent months.

Concerns have been especially loud in the US, where politicians from across the ideological spectrum are urging steps to curtail its reach, arguing that the data TikTok collects could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans or influence political debates.

Dozens of states, like Maryland, have banned TikTok on government networks and devices, moves that affect access in public libraries, universities and elsewhere.

TikTok's chief executive is due to appear this month in Congress, which is debating various proposals that could result in a wider national ban, while the company remains in a years-long negotiation with the White House about what changes it could make to satisfy the security concerns.

But among the app's prime users in the US - people aged under 25 - the general frenzy has done little to dent use, if they're aware of it at all.

At the University of Oklahoma, which announced it was blocking the app on the campus wi-fi in December, students were surprised and annoyed but "people were pretty quick to figure it out and navigate it," says student body president Christopher Firch, noting that most people can simply switch from wi-fi to a personal mobile data plan to get around the ban.

"I don't want to negate a national security issue... but I just think people are like, 'this sucks' and then laugh about it," he says. "They're not taking it super, super seriously."

Among the American public broadly speaking, support for a ban on TikTok has been rising.

In December, 53% of adults in the US favoured a national ban on Chinese-owned social media apps, according to decision intelligence company Morning Consult.

That compares to just 29% who said they supported blocking TikTok in 2020 when US President Donald Trump took steps to ban TikTok and WeChat - moves that were later blocked in court.

But Americans aged 18-25 are less likely than older adults to be concerned about competition with China and more likely to distrust the US government, says Jordan Marlatt, tech industry analyst at Morning Consult. They also have more positive views of social media.

Less than a third favoured banning Chinese social media apps, Morning Consult's survey found.