Albania's one-year TikTok ban met with anger among video platform's young users

euronews (in English)

Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Saturday that TikTok would be blocked in the new year, blaming the platform for rising incidents of violence and bullying, especially among young people.

Transcript

00:00A decision by Albania's government to suspend the video streaming site TikTok for a year

00:07has been met with anger from some of the platform's users.

00:11Prime Minister Edi Rama said TikTok would be blocked starting next year, blaming the

00:16platform for rising incidents of violence and bullying, especially among young people.

00:22Why is TikTok being blocked?

00:24We don't agree with it, neither do our citizens, because it's not TikTok that is spreading violence

00:32to us, nor is it something that we are using as a means of protection and we are preparing

00:37to spend some free time.

00:39And we don't agree with this, because it's, as they say, a waste of time for us.

00:43I don't think TikTok should be blocked.

00:46We don't agree with it, because it's not TikTok that is spreading violence to us, nor is it

00:50something that we are using as a means of protection and we are preparing to spend some

00:52free time for our citizens.

00:53The decision comes after the death of a teenager in mid-November who was stabbed by another

00:57youth after a quarrel that allegedly started on the video hosting platform.

01:02Edi Rama said TikTok would be fully closed for all and that 90% of parents and teachers

01:07the government spoke to agreed with the decision.

01:11Rama said the shutdown would begin next year but didn't specify a date.

01:15Following Tarana's decision, TikTok asked for urgent clarity from the Albanian government

01:20in the case of the stabbed teenager.

01:23The company said it had found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts.

01:30Albanian children comprise the largest group of TikTok users in the country, according

01:35to domestic researchers.

01:37But there's been growing concern among parents after reports of children taking knives to

01:42school or cases of bullying promoted by content they see on TikTok.

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