Members of the US House of Representatives reportedly voted in favour of legislation that would lead to a nationwide ban of TikTok, as part of a move to force parent company ByteDance to divest the US assets of the short form video company.

Reuters reported the legislation passed by the House of Representatives will give ByteDance six months to sell off its interest in TikTok. The legislation still needs to be approved by the US Senate and then signed into law by President Joe Biden. The news agency reported the legislation faces a more uncertain path in the Senate, which could favour a different approach.

CNBC reported politicians have expressed concern that TikTok is a threat to national security because it is controlled by a foreign adversary.

If the legislation becomes a law, Apple, Google and other entities cannot legally offer TikTok in their app stores or provide web hosting services to ByteDance-controlled applications, according to Reuters.

Reuters stated the possible move to force ByteDance to divest TikTok could lead to court challenges that have to be filed within 160 days of the legislation becoming a law.

A representative from TikTok told CNBC 7 million small businesses and 170 million Americans use its service.

“We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realise the impact on the economy”.