Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said he was "very dissatisfied" with TikTok's efforts to curb harmful content on its platform, but that it would be allowed to work with authorities to resolve the issue.

TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Recently, Malaysia has stepped up scrutiny of social media companies after finding a sharp rise in harmful online content.

Fahmi said authorities will not hesitate to penalize companies if necessary.

Malaysia's definition of harmful content includes online gambling, scams, child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying and content related to race, religion and royalty.