The French government has banned Chinese video-sharing app TikTok on the work phones of public-sector employees.

Transformation and Public Administration Minister Stanislas Guerini made the announcement on Friday.

He said recreational applications do not have sufficient levels of cybersecurity and data protection, adding that the ban is effective immediately.

It follows similar moves in the United States, Britain and Europe.

There is widespread concern that data from TikTok could be leaked to China.