Albania issues one-year ban after fatal stabbing

Albania’s prime minister has announced that the government intends to block access to TikTok for a year after the killing of a schoolboy last month sparked fears about social media’s influence on children.

In a speech on Saturday, Edi Rama stated that the proposed ban would begin in January.

TikTok said it is seeking immediate clarification from the Albanian government on the proposed ban.

The social media platform told the BBC it had found no evidence that the person who allegedly stabbed the 14-year-old boy, or the victim himself, had TikTok accounts.

During a meeting in Albania’s capital Tirana with teachers, parents and psychologists, Rama labeled TikTok as “neighborhood thugs”.

“We will close it for a year and we will start rolling out programs that will serve the students’ education and help parents follow their children’s journey,” Rama said.

The blocking of TikTok comes less than a month after the 14-year-old student was killed and another injured in a fight near a school in southern Tirana, which had its roots in a confrontation on social media.

The killing sparked a debate in Albania among parents, psychologists and educational institutions about the impact of social networks on young people.

“In China, TikTok promotes how students can take courses, how to protect nature, how to keep traditions, but on TikTok outside of China we only see foam and mud. Why do we need this?” Rama said.

TikTok is already banned in India, which was one of the app’s biggest markets before it was banned in June 2020. It is also blocked in Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan and Somalia.

TikTok is also fighting a law passed by the US Congress that would ban the app from January 19 unless it is sold by ByteDance – its Chinese parent company.

TThe US Supreme Court has agreed to hear last-minute legal arguments from TikTok why it should not be banned or sold with a hearing scheduled for Jan. 10 — just days before the Jan. 19 deadline imposed by Congress.

The US government is taking action against the app because of what it says are its links to the Chinese state – links that TikTok and ByteDance have denied.

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

In November Australia adopted the world’s strictest measures by voting to ban children under 16 from using social media.

The special ban will take at least a year to implement.

UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC that a similar ban for the under-16s is “on the table” but added that he wanted to see more evidence first.