Several American media outlets say US authorities are investigating the parent company of Chinese video-sharing app TikTok on suspicion of spying on journalists.

The outlets reported on Friday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department have been looking into ByteDance since the end of last year.

US business magazine Forbes reported in December 2022 that ByteDance's employees illegally tried to access the location data of multiple American journalists covering the company. The magazine said they were hoping to identify the journalists' sources inside the firm.

The news comes shortly after several outlets reported the US government had asked ByteDance to sell its shares in TikTok to non-Chinese companies.

The outlets said the app could face a ban in the US if the Chinese operator does not comply with the request.

TikTok has insisted it is not influenced by the Chinese government. The firm's CEO is scheduled to testify before the US Congress on March 23.