Kyrgyzstan has blocked TikTok after the Central Asian country's security services expressed concern over its influence on children. While some in the capital Bishkek view the ban as an antidote to social media addiction, others like Aku Sharsheeva think it reveals the direction the ex-Soviet country is heading in. "It was on TikTok that you could promote your point of view. And it seems that the state doesn't like the fact that some alternative opinions are wandering freely around the internet," says Sharsheeva. Owned by Chinese group ByteDance, TikTok has faced a global backlash from politicians and regulators over issues of children's online safety to the data it allegedly scoops up from users. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES