The Albanian Cabinet announced on Thursday that it will be shutting down TikTok for a period of 12 months, citing concerns over the platform promoting violence and bullying, particularly among children. Education Minister Ogerta Manastirliu mentioned that officials are in discussions with TikTok to implement features like parental controls, age verification, and the addition of the Albanian language to the app.
Authorities had previously held 1,300 meetings with around 65,000 parents, many of whom supported the decision to either shut down or restrict access to TikTok. This action comes after a tragic incident in November when a teenager fatally stabbed another following a dispute that originated on TikTok. TikTok has not yet provided a response to the Albanian government’s decision.
Earlier in December, Prime Minister Edi Rama had indicated that the government intended to shut down the platform. In response, TikTok requested immediate clarification from the Albanian government regarding the stabbing incident. On Thursday, Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that Albania is engaged in “positive dialogue” with TikTok, and that representatives from the platform will soon visit the country to introduce “a series of measures to enhance security for children.”
In response, TikTok claimed that there was no evidence linking the perpetrator or victim to the platform, and several reports indicated that the videos leading to the incident were actually posted on a different platform, not TikTok. Researchers have found that Albanian children represent the largest group of TikTok users in the country.
Concerns among Albanian parents have risen due to reports of children bringing knives to school, allegedly inspired by content on social media, and instances of bullying linked to TikTok stories. In response, authorities have increased police presence at schools and introduced various measures, including training programs for teachers, students, and parents.
The opposition has opposed the shutdown of TikTok, planning a protest on March 15. They argue that the ban is an “act of intolerance, fear, and terror against free thinking and expression.”
TikTok, owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, has faced scrutiny in various countries. It was briefly taken offline in the U.S. to comply with a law requiring ByteDance to either sell the app or face a ban. The service was restored within a day after former President Trump agreed to delay the ban.
This week, the UK’s data protection regulator announced an investigation into how TikTok uses the personal data of 13 to 17-year-olds to provide content recommendations. The Information Commissioner’s Office expressed concerns about how social media platforms use data from children’s online activities to fuel recommendation algorithms, potentially exposing young users to inappropriate or harmful content.