Chinese-owned viral video app TikTok has been banned from work-issued devices by 25 federal agencies and departments, including Foreign Affairs and Trade, Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Finance, as an investigation by Home Affairs into social media and what action the government should take nears completion.

An audit of all federal government departments and agencies by Liberal senator James Paterson through Senate questions on notice revealed the 25 departments and agencies banning TikTok on work-issued devices and a partial ban in 12. A further 11 permitted the app while five agencies did not respond or failed to answer directly.