Albania bans TikTok for one year after school stabbing

The government’s decision comes after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death by a classmate following a social media fight.

Albania has announced a ban on TikTok for one year after the killing of a teenager last month raised concerns over the influence of social media on children.

The ban of the popular video app will come into effect early next year, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Saturday after meeting with parents groups and teachers from across the country.

“For one year, we’ll be completely shutting it down for everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania,” Rama said.

There was no immediate comment from TikTok.

The Albanian government’s decision comes after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death in November by a classmate after arguments between the two boys began on social media. Albanian authorities held 1,300 meetings with teachers and parents following the stabbing.

Rama has blamed TikTok in particular for fuelling violence among youth in and outside school.

Videos had emerged on the app of minors supporting the killing.

“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 said.

The prime minister said Albania would see how the company and other countries react to the one-year shutdown before deciding whether to allow the company to resume operations.

The opposition has rejected the government’s decision to ban the app.

“The dictatorial decision to close the social media platform TikTok … is a grave act against freedom of speech and democracy,” said Ina Zhupa, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party.

“It is a pure electoral act and abuse of power to suppress freedoms.”

Several European countries, including France, Germany and Belgium, have enforced restrictions on social media use for children.

In one of the world’s toughest regulations, Australia approved in November a complete social media ban for children under 16.

TikTok has also faced accusations of espionage in the United States and is under investigation by the European Union over claims it was used to sway Romania’s presidential election in favour of a far-right candidate.

TikTok attracts young people in particular with its seemingly never-ending scroll of short videos and has more than one billion active users worldwide.