Albania temporarily blocks TikTok app after deadly school tragedy

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced that the country's authorities will block access to the TikTok platform for one year after an incident at a school that led to the death of a student.

This was reported by “European Pravda” with reference to AFP.

During a meeting with teachers, parents and psychologists in Tirana, the Albanian prime minister called TikTok “a bandit in the neighborhood” and promised to “kick this bandit out of our neighborhood within one year”.

Accordingly According to the government's decision, TikTok will be blocked in Albania from the beginning of 2025.

“In China, TikTok promotes how students can take courses, how to protect nature, how to preserve traditions, but in TikTok outside of China we only see scum and dirt. Why do we need this?” – Rama said.

In addition, he added, the Albanian government will launch programs that “will serve the education of students and help parents monitor the lives of their children.”

The decision to block TikTok was made after a fight in one of the schools in Tirana, during which a 14-year-old student was killed and another was injured. It later turned out that the conflict began with a confrontation on social networks.

The murder has sparked a debate in the country among parents, psychologists and educational institutions in Albania about the influence of social networks on young people.

TikTok, which has more than a billion active users worldwide, has previously come under fire in the US over allegations of espionage for China.

And the European Union has launched an investigation into the platform over allegations that it was used to influence the Romanian presidential election in favor of far-right candidate Călin Georgescu.