KUALA LUMPUR — Albania will ban TikTok for one year starting January for all users regardless of age, following the murder of one teenager by another last month.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the ban yesterday after a meeting with parents’ and teachers’ groups, Reuters reported.
“The problem today is not our children, the problem today is us, the problem today is our society, the problem today is TikTok and all the others that are taking our children hostage,” Rama was reported saying.
In an immediate response to Reuters, TikTok said it was seeking clarity from the Albanian government over the ban.
The short video app was blamed for influencing the killing of a 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death by a fellow pupil.
According to Reuters, local media reported that the stabbing took place after the two argued on social media, and that TikTok videos by other minors supported the killing.
However, TikTok’s statement to Reuters claimed that the alleged perpetrator and victim did not have accounts with the platform, and that short videos which purportedly influenced the killing to take place “were being posted on another platform, not TikTok”.
Albania’s one-year ban comes as other European countries including France, Germany and Belgium enforce restrictions on social media use for children. Elsewhere, Australia has launched a tough law to completely ban social media for children under 16. – December 22, 2024