“He is taking our children hostage”
With this statement, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the blocking of TikTok for one year in the country.
The measure against the well-known social network of the Chinese ByteDance (which also risks closing in the United States), is part of a package of measures which aim, among other things, to strengthen the safety of children in schools.
Rama, che ha paragonato TikTok al neighborhood scoundrelso he decided to prevent access to the social network starting from the first weeks of 2025for at least a year, and at the same time will begin to create programs to educate pupils and help parents monitor their children's progress.
The repentance comes after just last month in the Albanian capital a 14-year-old was dramatically stabbed to death by a peer following an argument that started on social media.
Subsequently, videos of minors praising the murderer and his actions appeared on TikTok.
The tragedy not only shook public opinion, but prompted the launch of a series of nationwide consultations with the teacher and parent communities; over 90% of them specifically asked for TikTok to be shut down.
Already France, Germany and Belgium have recently imposed some restrictions on the use of social media by minors, while in Australia from November 2024 it is de facto Minors under the age of 16 are prohibited from using any social network.
