Albania bans TikTok for a year following death of teenager

Albania’s prime minister said the country will be banning TikTok for one year, citing violence and bullying among children after a teenager died.

Prime Minister Edi Rama said the app would be “fully closed for all,” and there will “be no TikTok in the Republic of Albania,” The Associated Press reported.

The shutdown will begin sometime in 2025.

The Hill has reached out to TikTok for comment, but in a statement to the AP, the company said it was asking for “urgent clarity from the Albanian government” about the case involving an Albanian teenager.

A 14-year-old teenager was stabbed to death in November by a fellow schoolmate. Local media reported the incident happened after arguments on social media and other videos emerged supporting the murder, Reuters reported.

The banning is part of a larger effort to make schools safer. Authorities have held more than 1,000 meetings with teachers and parents since the death.

“The ban on TikTok for one year in Albania is not a rushed reaction to a single incident, but a carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country,” Rama said.

Ninety percent of parents approve the ban, but the younger generation, which makes up most of the app’s users, does not approve, the AP reported.