The Albanian government announced on Thursday its decision to suspend the operations of TikTok in the country for a year. This measure was taken in response to concerns that the widely-used video-sharing platform is contributing to the rise of violence and bullying, particularly among children.
Ogerta Manastirliu, the Education Minister, stated that the government is collaborating with TikTok to implement filters such as parental controls, age verification, and introducing the Albanian language into the app.
The decision came after conducting over 1,300 meetings with approximately 65,000 parents, many of whom supported either restricting or shutting down TikTok. This move follows a tragic incident last year where a teenager was fatally stabbed by another after an altercation that began on TikTok.
TikTok has yet to comment on this decision by the Albanian authorities. Prime Minister Edi Rama had indicated in December that there were plans to close the platform. TikTok had responded by seeking clarification concerning the incident involving the teens. On Thursday, Rama noted that there has been a “positive dialogue” with TikTok, and that representatives from the company are expected to visit Albania soon to propose improved security measures for young users.
TikTok claimed they found no evidence that the individuals involved in the deadly incident had accounts on their platform, suggesting that the content related to the incident may have originated from another platform. Researchers have identified Albanian children as the primary users of TikTok in the country.
The platform has led to increased concern among Albanian parents over reports that children are influenced by social media content to bring weapons to school, or engage in bullying. In response, the authorities have heightened police presence in schools and introduced other measures such as training programs for teachers, students, and parents.
The government’s decision to block TikTok has faced opposition, with critics arguing that it represents an attack on free expression and has prompted a protest slated for March 15.
Globally, TikTok, operated by ByteDance, a Chinese technology company, has faced scrutiny from various governments. The U.S. recently temporarily disabled its services to comply with a law demanding ByteDance divest TikTok or face a ban, although services were resumed after assurances were received from the then-leader to delay the ban.
Separately, the U.K.’s data protection agency began investigating TikTok over its use of personal data from young users aged 13-17, reflecting broader concerns about social media companies’ use of children’s online activity data for generating content recommendations, and its implications for exposing youth to inappropriate content.
