Albania has announced a one-year ban on TikTok following the killing of a teenager last month that raised fears over the influence of social media on

Albania bans TikTok for a year after fatal stabbing of teenager last month

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2024-12-22 14:00:05

Albania has announced a one-year ban on TikTok following the killing of a teenager last month that raised fears over the influence of social media on children.

Edi Rama, the prime minister, confirmed the ban, part of a broader plan to make schools safer, after meeting parents’ groups and teachers from across the country.

TikTok, asked to comment on Saturday, requested “urgent clarity from the Albanian government” on the case of the stabbed teenager.

The company said it had “found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts, and multiple reports have in fact confirmed videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok”.

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 targeting big tech, Australia approved in November a complete social media ban for children under 16.

Rama has blamed social media, and TikTok in particular, for fuelling violence among youths in and outside school. His government’s decision comes after a 14-year-old schoolboy was stabbed to death in November by a fellow pupil.