Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama has announced the government intends to block access to social media platform, TikTok for one year.
Rama said the proposed ban would start in January, saying it is a result of the killing of a schoolboy last month raised fears about the influence of social media on children.
TikTok said it is seeking urgent clarifications from the Albanian government about the proposed ban.
The social media platform said it had found no evidence 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 branded TikTok as “the thug of the neighbourhood”.
“We are going to close it for a year and we are going to start rolling out programs that will serve the education of students and help parents follow their children’s journey,” Rama said.
Edi Rama described the content on TikTok as “scum and mud”
The blocking of TikTok comes less than a month after a 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 China, we see only scum and mud. Why do we need this?”, Rama said.
TikTok is already banned in India, which was one of the app’s largest markets before it was outlawed in June 2020. It is also blocked in Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan and Somalia.
TikTok is also fighting against a law passed by the US Congress which would ban the app from 19 January unless it is sold by ByteDance – its Chinese parent company.
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear last-minute legal arguments from TikTok as to why it should not be banned or sold with a hearing scheduled for 10 January – just days before the 19 January 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 social media use for children.
In November Australia passed the world’s strictest measures by voting to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media.
Why TikTok is one step closer to being banned in the US
