"Albania to Block TikTok Videos for 1 Year Citing Youth Murder and Violence Inducement"

Prime Minister Edi Rama: "The Problem Lies with Adults and Society, Not Children"
Also Criticizes TikTok Algorithm for Promoting Violence

Albania in Southern Europe will ban the video platform TikTok for one year.

On the 21st (local time), the British daily The Guardian reported that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced this measure to make schools safer. After meeting with parent and teacher groups, Prime Minister Rama made this decision. He said, "We will completely block everyone's use of TikTok for one year," adding, "There will be no TikTok in Albania." The ban is scheduled to take effect early next year.

This measure came after a shocking incident last month in Albania where a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death by a classmate. Local media reported that the two boys had a dispute through social networking services (SNS) before the incident occurred. Additionally, videos supporting the murder were posted on TikTok by some young people.

When announcing the TikTok ban, Prime Minister Rama said, "The problem today is not our children but the adults and our society." The Prime Minister's office also pointed out TikTok's algorithm structure, stating that in China, where its parent company ByteDance is located, TikTok does not recommend content that promotes violence in this way.

[Image source=TikTok homepage capture]

The Prime Minister's office criticized, saying, "Albania is too small a country to force the algorithm that endlessly reproduces a hell of language such as hate, violence, and bullying to stop," and added, "TikTok in China prevents teenagers from being dragged into the abyss." Prime Minister Rama said he would first observe TikTok's and other SNS companies' responses to the one-year ban and then decide whether to continue the TikTok ban afterward.

However, TikTok opposed this measure and demanded a clear explanation from the Albanian government. TikTok claimed, "We have not found evidence that the suspect or victim in the incident owned TikTok accounts, and according to several reports, the videos that triggered the incident were posted on platforms other than TikTok."

Moreover, foreign media reported that criticism arose mainly from the opposition parties in Albanian politics, saying this measure is a political decision by Prime Minister Rama. It is seen as a strategy to gather voter support ahead of elections.

Meanwhile, besides Albania, concerns about the negative impact of SNS such as TikTok on teenagers are growing worldwide, and recently, countries, mainly in Western Europe, are increasing regulations on teenagers' SNS use. The Australian government banned SNS use for children under 16 entirely last month, the first in the world to do so.