Viral Containment

Albania is imposing a one-year ban on TikTok over the weekend after the government implicated it in the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old boy in November by another teenager after an argument on the Chinese social media platform, Politico reported.

During a meeting with teachers and parents, Prime Minister Edi Rama said TikTok starting next year “would be fully closed for all … There will be no TikTok in the Republic of Albania.”

The announcement comes after videos surfaced on TikTok showing young people expressing support for the killing, intensifying concerns over the platform’s incitement of violence and its influence on Albanian youth, who form the largest group of TikTok users in the country.

The company denied involvement in the incident, countering that it found “no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts” while noting that videos tied to the case were posted on another platform.

The company has requested “urgent clarity” from the Albanian government.

Rama contrasted TikTok’s algorithm in Albania with its operations in China, claiming the platform promotes educational content there and does not promote “the reproduction of the unending hell of the language of hatred, violence, bullying and so on,” the Associated Press reported.

In response to rising concerns, authorities have introduced protective measures in schools, including increased police presence, training programs, and closer collaboration with parents.

However, the opposition Democratic Party criticized the ban, calling it a “grave act against freedom of speech,” and accused Rama of exploiting the situation for electoral gains ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.

This heightened focus on youth safety and social media comes amid another violent incident involving children in Croatia.

A 19-year-old man reportedly killed a 7-year-old child and injured three others in a knife attack at a primary school in the capital Zagreb on Friday, the BBC added.

Police arrested the alleged perpetrator, with officials saying that he was a former student at the school and had a history of mental illness.