TIRANA (Reuters) – Albania on Saturday announced a one-year ban on TikTok, the popular short video app, after the killing of a teenager last month raised fears over the impact of social media on children.
The closure, which is part of a wider plan to make schools safer, will go into effect early next year, Prime Minister Edi Rama said after meeting with parent and teacher groups across the country.
“In one year, we will completely block everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania,” said Rama.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours.
Several European countries including France, Germany and Belgium have imposed restrictions on the use of social media by children. In one of the world's toughest regulations aimed at Big Tech, Australia approved in November a total ban on social media for children under 16.
Rama blames social media, and TikTok in particular, for fueling violence among youth and outside of school.
His government's decision comes after a 14-year-old school boy was stabbed to death in November by another student. Local media reported that the incident was the result of arguments between the two boys on social media. Videos have surfaced on TikTok of children supporting the killing.
“The problem today is not our children, the problem today is us, the problem today is our society, the problem today is TikTok and all the others that are taking our children,” said Rama.