Tirana: The Albanian government will block access to TikTok for at least a year from 2025, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on Saturday.
The decision comes as part of the country’s broader efforts to address platform-specific concerns.
“We are going to drive this thug out of our neighborhood for a year,” Rama said, speaking at a meeting with Albanian teachers, parents and psychologists in Tirana.
He told the meeting participants that the government would launch programs to “serve students’ education and help parents follow their children’s journey”.
The government’s decision to block the social media website comes after an incident nearly a month ago where a 14-year-old student was killed and another injured in a fight near a school in Tirana.
The dispute arose out of an online confrontation on social media.
The murder sparked a debate among parents, psychologists and educational institutions in the country about the impact of social networks on youth.
“In China, TikTok promotes how students can take courses, how to protect nature, how to preserve traditions,” Rama said.
“But outside of China, all we see on Tik Tok is dirt and mud. What do we need?”
Several countries have begun debating measures against TikTok, part of a wider debate over the influence of social media on vulnerable groups such as children and teenagers.
“The problem is not the children but our entire society,” argued Rama.
TikTok’s Controversial ‘Challenges’
TikTok’s huge global success has been built in part on the appeal of its “challenges” — an interactive call-out that invites users to create videos that include dance, jokes or games that sometimes go viral. are
The platform attracts youngsters with its never-ending scroll of super short videos. It has more than one billion active users worldwide.
Neighboring countries such as Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia have also reported negative effects of the platform, particularly on young people.
Two months ago, at least 22 incidents of self-harm among girls from different schools in the southwestern city of Gjakova in Kosovo were blamed on a TikTok challenge.
Two weeks ago, local media in North Macedonia reported that a hospital there had treated dozens of teenagers injured after attempting the “Superman” tic-tac-toe challenge.
It involves a child jumping on the linked arms of a few others.
And in Serbia, in the southwestern city of Novi Pazar, there were reports that several high school children took part in a “choking” challenge.
Searching for it on TikTok now produces a warning message from the platform that some challenges may be dangerous, and links to a short guide on how to spot them.
TikTok has faced accusations of espionage in the United States, and is under investigation by the European Union over claims it was used to influence a far-right candidate in Romania’s presidential election. was
The platform has also been banned from being used by government officials in several countries.
AFP, among more than a dozen other fact-checking organizations, is paid by TikTok in several countries to verify videos that may contain false information.