The first country in Europe to ban TikTok outright

A teenage boy in Albania has died after being stabbed to death by a classmate during an argument over TikTok. The heartbreaking incident has made Albania the first European country to ban the Chinese-owned video app for a year.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama officially announced the ban on December 21, nearly a month after the tragic incident, citing the social media platform's negative impact on children.

Prime Minister Rama, after meeting with parent and teacher groups nationwide to discuss school safety, stressed that the ban had been "carefully considered" and would officially come into effect early next year.

“For a year, we will be completely closed to everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania,” said Rama.

According to Rama, "more than 90% of parents" in the democratic country "demand a ban on TikTok".

According to local media, the 14-year-old victim and a classmate had an argument on social media before the horrific stabbing took place. More worryingly, after the incident, many other students on TikTok posted videos expressing support for the perpetrator’s actions.

TikTok denies responsibility

The Albanian Prime Minister has strongly condemned social media, especially TikTok, for its role in inciting violence among children and adolescents, not only within schools but also spreading beyond society.

"The problem is not with our children, but with us, with the society we are building. The problem is with TikTok and other apps that are turning our children into hostages of the digital age," Prime Minister Rama affirmed.

"Albania may be a small country to demand that TikTok protect children and young people from the dangers posed by its algorithm. However, we expect TikTok to act in the common good of humanity. If TikTok does not protect Albanian children, Albania will stand up to protect its children from TikTok," Prime Minister Rama stressed.

Following the announcement on December 21, TikTok expressed doubts about its platform's involvement and said it was urgently seeking "clarification" from Albanian officials.

A representative from ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, said: "We have not found any evidence that the perpetrator or the victim owns a TikTok account. In fact, multiple reports have confirmed that the videos related to this incident were posted on a platform other than TikTok."

Prime Minister Rama responded to TikTok's comments on social media platform X, stressing that: "TikTok has no right to ask Albania for an explanation. This decision belongs to the Albanian people, not those behind TikTok's algorithm."

“To claim that the murder of the teenager had nothing to do with TikTok just because the conflict did not originate on the platform shows a lack of awareness of the danger TikTok poses to children and young people today, which is why we have a responsibility to address this threat,” Rama said.

What moves are Western countries making towards controlling and managing social media platforms?

Western countries such as France, Germany and Belgium have recently implemented specific restrictions to control children's use of social media, including age verification requirements, time limits on access, and increased protection of personal data.

However, so far, Europe has not had any country issue an outright ban on a specific social media platform like TikTok or similar platforms.

Before Albania banned TikTok, Australia was considered the country with the strictest policy on children using social media. In November, the Australian parliament passed a new law that completely banned children under 16 from accessing and using social media platforms.

The regulation is intended to protect children from potential risks, including inappropriate content, online bullying and data security threats.

Under a bill signed into law by President Joe Biden in April, the US government has required TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to fully divest the short-video app by January 19. Failure to comply would put TikTok at risk of a nationwide ban.

The rule is part of a national security effort, as TikTok has been accused of potentially sharing user data with the Chinese government. TikTok filed an emergency appeal last week to challenge and block the divestment order.