Albania joins a growing list of countries banning or Denmarktemporarily blocking TikTok, with the state declaring a one-year prohibition of the platform.
The decision comes after nationwide protest and government unrest following the November murder of a 14-year-old boy by one of his classmates, who subsequently shared images of the aftermath on Snapchat. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has claimed that social media, but most specifically TikTok, is fostering increasing violence among youth in the country. "TikTok will not exist in the Republic of Albania," said Rama. "TikTok is the thug of the neighborhood. We are going to chase this thug out of our neighborhood for one year."
SEE ALSO: Which countries have banned TikTok?This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
In addition to the ban, Rama said the government will introduce new programs to educate children and support parents — the country's leader had been meeting with teachers, students, parents, and psychologists over the last month to address growing fear about social media and children. No further details were provided at the time.
Other countries are exploring stricter laws intended to safeguard minors from social media platforms broadly, working these issues into larger claims for digital and national security. Countries across North America, Europe, and Asia have instituted varying restrictions on TikTok. The U.S. TikTok divestiture requirement, a de facto ban, is set to go into effect on Jan. 19, and is currently set to be appealed in the Supreme Court, with TikTok and others claiming its a violation of free speech. In May, a bipartisan group of legislators introduced a bill that would prohibit social media use for people 13 years and younger.
In November, Australia passed an outright ban on social media use for children under 16 years of age, placing the onus of keeping said users off platforms on social media companies themselves. The ban will apply to Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and YouTube, among others. The U.K. is currently debating a similar social media ban.
Experts, however, are mixed on whether social media bans are the way forward. A major report out of the nonprofit National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine declined to recommend banning platforms, arguing current research into social media's connection to negative mental health outcomes isn't robust enough to suggest a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Instead, the committee argues, legislators should explore strong industry standards and transparency.
Topics Social Good TikTok Politics
The rise of YouTube: 20 years of creators, culture, and content at VidCon
Lil dachshunds racing in costume are just the medicine you need
Police release Keith Scott videos, leaving more questions than answers
Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan to star in Paul Dano's directorial debut 'Wildlife'
Robert Irwin weighed in on the 100 men vs one gorilla debate
Peter Capaldi will appear in 'Doctor Who' spin
Tesla plans to unveil solar roof with integrated Powerwall battery on Oct. 28
How Spotify is perfecting the art of the playlist
Best vacuum deal: Get the Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum for $120 off
Wait a second—Kim Kardashian might vote for Donald Trump
Albania announces one
Snapchat is just 'Snap' now
Movie based on Lauren Kate's 'Fallen' has potential to be YA sensation
Police arrest creepy clown found lurking in Kentucky woods
How to unblock xHamster for free
In appeal to millennials, pro
Stretch drive: 3 storylines to follow as the 2016 MLB playoffs approach
Michelle Obama gives George W. Bush the bear hug we all need
Shop iPad deals during Best Buy's Apple savings event
Plane evacuates upon landing at Australia's Perth airport
'Strange Things 4' Demogorgon fight: Go behindVictoria's Secret exec apologizes for 'insensitive' antiThe biggest lessons I learned while starting a travel writing businessWordle today: Here's the July 15 Wordle answer and hintsHow will Ted Cruz celebrate his victory over Beto? Twitter has some hilariously deranged answers.Twitter sues Elon Musk for backing out of takeover dealMost watched TV shows and movies of the week (July 16) on streamingBeing pregnant on the internet sucks12 websites all college students should bookmarkPornhub traffic in Washington DC skyrocketed on election night'Wordle' is being turned into a board game: Release date, preorder detailsDonald Trump's first tweet about California fires blames the victimsLurking John King is the best part of CNN's election coverage5 damning revelations from the Uber FilesHow to mark an iMessage as unread in iOS 16We regret to inform you Trumpy Bear is a *real* thing you can spend money onWe regret to inform you Trumpy Bear is a *real* thing you can spend money onKim Davis, Kentucky clerk who refused sameVictoria's Secret exec apologizes for 'insensitive' antiKim Davis, Kentucky clerk who refused same 'Harry Potter' fans, rejoice: You can now discover your true Patronus Bruno Mars points out a glaring inconsistency in the lyrics to one of his biggest hits This 1995 ad featuring Donald Trump will ruin stuffed crust pizza for you J.K. Rowling shares writing advice, destroys troll who dares to question her Creative mom puts her napping twins into awesome settings Some Samsung phone users can't delete pre Google Assistant is even on Google Maps now Samsung might launch Galaxy S10 and Galaxy F at February event 'Glass' is a disappointing sequel to 'Unbreakable' and 'Split' Mark Zuckerberg reveals his New Year's resolution This video of a voice assistant reading emoji out loud is honestly glorious Impossible Burger 2.0 taste test: Simulated meat gets an upgrade 'Captain Marvel' has highest first day ticket sales of almost any Marvel movie How 'Sex Education' filmed sex scenes marks a new chapter for the teen genre HBO's CEO says the final Season of 'Game of Thrones' feels like '6 movies' More than a third of both presidential candidates' Twitter followers are bots, study finds Nielsen compares 'Bird Box' numbers to other Netflix originals J.K. Rowling has revealed her true Patronus and it's suitably badass Hackers leak copy of Michelle Obama's passport, but is it real? Wait a second—Kim Kardashian might vote for Donald Trump
2.9898s , 8231.03125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Denmark】,New Knowledge Information Network