The Italian data privacy watchdog The Italian Data Protection Authority (GPDP) ordered video app TikTok on Friday to block the accounts of any users in Italy whose age it could not verify.

The order came just after a 10-year-old girl died of asphyxiation in Palermo, Sicily, while taking part of a "choking challenge" that has been viral on the platform.

The regulator said in a statement that it was easy to circumvent TikTok's rule of no registration for children aged under 13.

As a result, it said TikTok had to block unverified user accounts until at least Feb. 15 awaiting further information.

Tiktok had already been accused of data privacy violations by the GPDP in December over the "lack of attention to the protection of minors".

There was no immediate response from TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance and has been rapidly growing in popularity around the world, particularly amongst teenagers.

An official said this meant that users of unverified accounts would no longer be able to upload videos or interact with other people on the platform.