Albania to Shut Down TikTok for 1 Year

The decision comes after an argument on the video sharing app reportedly led to a teenager stabbing another teen to death.

In this photo illustration, the TikTok logo is displayed on an iPhone in London, on Feb. 28, 2023. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Albanian Cabinet approved a 12-month ban on Chinese-owned video-sharing platform TikTok on March 6 in an effort to safeguard children amid concerns the app is inciting violence and bullying.

The country’s cabinet initially began working toward a ban last year following the fatal stabbing of a teenager by another teen in November after an argument that allegedly started on TikTok.

In announcing the ban this week, Education Minister Ogerta Manastirliu said officials have been in contact with TikTok regarding installing filters in the app such as parental controls, age verification, and the inclusion of the Albanian language.

Manastirliu told Balkan Insight that the ban would begin within “a few days, maybe a week,” and that the 12-month suspension will “allow all the necessary time to take measures in coordination with representatives of the TikTok platform.”

She did not provide specifics regarding how, exactly, the nationwide ban would work but said the “National Cyber ​​Security Agency with the relevant entities” would tend to it.

Separately, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama—who first proposed the one-year ban back in December—confirmed the move in post on social media platform X.

Rama said the decision followed “broad consultations with 65,000 parents and teachers,” and was taken “after ensuring the necessary technical capabilities were in place.”

“Meanwhile, we are engaged in a highly positive dialogue with the company, which will soon visit Albania to present both a set of security measures for children—including in the Albanian language—and several innovations to support education and learning,” Rama said.

In December, when Rama said Albania was looking to shut down TikTok, the platform asked for “urgent clarity from the Albanian government” about the case of the stabbed teenager.

The company, which is operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, said in a statement to media that it had “found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts, and multiple reports have in fact confirmed videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok.”

The ban, which comes as Albania is preparing for a parliamentary election on May 11, has prompted criticism from the conservative Democratic Party and their supporters in the opposition coalition.

Speaking at a March 6 press conference, Sali Berisha, leader of the Democratic Party, described the ban as an “act of censorship” against over a million TikTok users in Albania.

“With this move, Rama aligns Albania with Afghanistan and Iran,” said Berisha. “This is a blatant attack on free thought and expression.” He also called for citizens to protest the ban on March 15.

It comes as TikTok was briefly taken offline in the United States in January after a federal divest-or-ban law imposed under the Biden administration took effect.

The law required ByteDance to divest itself of TikTok in the United States by Jan. 19 on national security grounds or face a full-scale ban in one of its largest markets.

After returning to the White House for a second term, President Donald Trump postponed enforcement of the law for 75 days to allow his administration more time to negotiate a sale or an alternative solution to a ban on the video-sharing app.

The Epoch Times has contacted a TikTok spokesperson for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.