TikTok received backlash from Albania following the rise in bullying and violence in school-going children.
As reported by Associated Press, the Albanian cabinet on Thursday, March 6, 2025 decided to put a ban on the social media app for 12 months after listing is as the reason for the violence among children.
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Education Minister Ogerta Manastirliu said that they are in contact with TikTok on making the platform more children-friendly with the addition of age-verification, parental control, and the inclusion of the Albanian language.
The decision of shutdown was made after 1,300 meetings with around 65,000 parents were arranged, where all guardians "recommended and were in favour of the shut down or limiting the TikTok platform".
This unanimous verdict came after the incident of a teen stabbing his peer to death in November 2024, following a quarrel that started on the video-sharing platform.
Prime Minister Edi Rama shared that the country was in a "positive dialogue with the company," and that TikTok would visit the country soon to offer a "series of measures on increasing the security for children."
In addition to the stabbing incident, Albanian parents are also concerned for the safety of their children as there have been number of cases where children were inspired by bullying stories they see on TikTok.
Authorities have increased police presence at some school, as there were report of children bringing knives to school after seeing it on social media, with teachers, students, and their parents receiving training program as a preventative measure.
TikTok, operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance has faced number of concerns from countries regarding data protection and content regulations and faced a brief banned in the US.
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Notably, the UK's watchdog also revealed that they are investigating the process of recommendation of the content to the 13 to 17-year-olds using their personal information.
