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Albania is suspending TikTok for a year as it is promoting violence and bullying.
The Albanian government has decided to ban the social media platform TikTok for a year, citing concerns that it promotes violence and bullying among children. This decision was announced on Thursday by the country’s cabinet.
This decision follows a tragic incident in November, where a teenager fatally stabbed another after a dispute that originated on TikTok.
Since then, authorities have held 1,300 meetings with around 65,000 Albanian parents, who, according to Education Minister Ogerta Manastirliu, “supported and advocated for either shutting down or restricting the TikTok platform.”
He mentioned that his department had been engaging with TikTok to implement various safeguards, including parental controls, age verification, and the addition of the Albanian language to the app.
TikTok has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the government’s decision.
In December, when Prime Minister Edi Rama announced plans to shut down the social media platform, TikTok requested “urgent clarity from the Albanian government” regarding the incident involving the stabbed teenager.
Rama stated on Thursday that they were engaged in a “positive dialogue with the company” and that TikTok would soon visit the country to propose “a series of measures to enhance child safety.”
The company stated that “there is no evidence suggesting the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts,” adding that “multiple reports confirmed the videos related to this incident were posted on a different platform, not TikTok.”
Researchers indicate that children form the largest demographic of TikTok users in Albania.
Albanian parents have grown increasingly worried following reports of children being influenced by social media content to bring knives to school or engage in bullying inspired by stories on TikTok.
Authorities have enhanced police presence at certain schools and introduced additional initiatives, such as training programs for teachers, students, and parents.
The opposition has opposed TikTok’s closure and scheduled a protest against the decision for March 15, describing the ban as “an act of intolerance, fear, and repression of free thought and expression.”
TikTok, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, has faced scrutiny in numerous countries and was temporarily taken offline in the United States to comply with legislation mandating ByteDance to either divest the app or face a ban.
The app briefly suspended its services in the U.S., resuming operations within a day after receiving assurances from Trump that the ban would be postponed.
This week, the U.K.’s data privacy regulator announced an investigation into TikTok’s handling of 13 to 17-year-olds’ personal information for delivering targeted content.
The Information Commissioner’s Office expressed increasing concerns about how social media platforms utilise data from children’s online activities to drive their recommendation algorithms, potentially exposing young users to inappropriate or harmful content.
Albania’s TikTok ban highlights global concerns about social media’s impact on children. While aimed at improving safety, it raises debates over digital freedom. The outcome could shape future policies on regulating platforms and protecting young users. This decision emphasises the need for collaboration between governments, tech companies, and users to create a safer online space.
