TIRANA: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on Saturday that the government would shut down social network TikTok for at least a year starting at the beginning of 2025.

During a meeting in Tirana with Albanian teachers, parents and psychologists Rama said that “TikTok is the thug of the neighbourhood”.

“We are going to chase this thug out of our neighbourhood for one year,” Rama said.

He added that the government would start programmes that will “serve the education of students and help parents follow their children’s journey”.

The blocking of the controversial social network comes less than a month after a 14-year-old student was killed and another injured in a fight near a school in Tirana that had begun with a confrontation on social media.

The killing sparked a debate in the country 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 the TikTok outside China we see only scum and mud. Why do we need this?”, Rama asked.

The platform attracts young people with its never-ending scroll of ultra-brief videos, and has more than one billion active users worldwide.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2024