
HONG KONG -- When Chinese social media app TikTok surpassed Facebook and Instagram in number of downloads in January, it seemed further confirmation that an IPO for its parent company ByteDance was only a matter of time.
That was before TikTok -- which allows users to post 15-second videos -- was hit by a string of scandals in recent days that has raised questions over the prospects for a widely speculated ByteDance listing later this year.