Albania announced on Saturday (21) a one-year ban on TikTok following the murder of a teenager last month. The case raised fears about the influence of social networks on young people.
The ban is part of a broader plan to make schools safer and will come into force early next year, Prime Minister Edi Rama said after meeting groups of parents and teachers across the country.
“For a year, we will close it completely to everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania,” Rama announced.
Several European countries, including France, Germany and Belgium, have imposed restrictions on children’s use of social media.
In one of the world’s strictest regulations targeting so-called Big Techs, Australia in November approved a total ban on social media for under-16s.
Rama blamed the platforms, and TikTok in particular, for fueling violence among young people inside and outside of school.
TikTok ban comes after murder
The decision comes after a 14-year-old student was stabbed to death in November by a fellow student.
Local media reported that the case occurred after arguments between the two boys on social media. Videos also emerged on TikTok of minors supporting the homicide.
“The problem today is not our children, the problem today is us, the problem today is our society, the problem today is TikTok and everyone else who is taking our children hostage,” argued Rama.
TikTok said it is seeking “urgent clarification” from the Albanian government.
“We found no evidence that either the attacker or the victim had TikTok accounts, and multiple reports have indeed confirmed that videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok,” highlighted a company spokesperson.
This content was originally published in Albania bans TikTok for a year after teenager’s murder on CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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