On March 6, 2025, Associated Press published an article that states “Albania shuts down TikTok for a year amid concerns over violence among children”. This claim turns out to be true. Тhe consideration of the ban was announced earlier in December by the Albanian Prime Minister as a plan to make schools safer. As a result a broad discussion ensued.
Screenshot of the article in Associated Press
The author of the cited article is Llazar Semini – a correspondent for the AP international news agency, based in Tirana, Albania. Many other high-status media, including Reuters, France 24 and Deutsche Welle, have also shared the news. The process, however, is long and complicated.
When the ban occurs & what stays behind it
The decision came after a shocking event in November, when a 14-year-old boy was killed by a peer outside the school “Fan Noli” in the capital Tirana. The fatal stabbing of the teenager followed a series of arguments between the two boys on social networks. The disturbing incident strongly affected Albanian society, explains Albanian Times, and raised calls for increased school security and serious measures regarding the dangerous spread of violence on social media.
The situation led to fierce conversations in the Albanian Parliament. Moreover, during a speech, taking place two days after the accident, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that they were debating whether to install filters or completely close social networks such as TikTok and Snapchat which are considered a “source of violence”. EuroNews Albania reported that he gave an example of some other countries with similar initiatives – Australia and France, claiming that “many countries are trying to put in place protective filters but without any significant results”.
The drastic measure of completely closing the social platforms in Albania was then put up for broad discussion in all parent communities, with a full engagement of the schools, under the direction of the Ministry of Education. The goal was to find the most democratic and effective solution for such a complex issue.
Later, on the 21st of December 2024, Reuters reported that after a lot of meetings with teachers and parents and careful research, Prime Minister Edi Rama, during a speech said that TikTok “would be fully closed for all. There will be no TikTok in the Republic of Albania”. He also clarified that the shutdown would begin early next year (2025).
TikTok’s official response
Associated Press reports that in an email response to them, which requested a comment, TikTok asked for “urgent clarity from the Albanian government” regarding the tragic case of the stabbed teenager. In addition to that, the company said that there is 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”.
Edi Rada answered them with a post on his official X social media account.
Screenshot of Edi Rama’s official post on X
His statement is clear – Albanians decide, not the owners of TikTok’s algorithm. The drastic measure is a decision widely consulted with communities and the majority of the parents demand the ban of the platform, according to the Prime Minister. He concludes that “Albania will protect its own children from TikTok”.
In addition to that, earlier while announcing the ban, Edi Rama pointed out the fact that on TikTok inside China you do not see violence, bullying or crime, but promoting how to study better, and how to preserve nature. Unfortunately, outside China, according to him, it is quite different, and Albania is too small to manage to impose on TikTok a change of its algorithm. That is the reason why they decided to take these drastic measures.
Implementation of the ban
The official shutdown of the platform then was announced for March 13, 2025. The Minister of Education shared the news after a government meeting. The phase of disconnecting is truly said to last 12 months. The interruption of access is stated to be carried out by the National Cyber Security Agency within a short period of time, a few days or a week maximum.
The Prime Minister again shared a comment on his X page, where he clarified that the decision was made in broad consultation with 65,000 parents and teachers.
Screenshot of Edi Rama’s official post on X
As part of the government’s safety plan, the ban will be accompanied by the installation of surveillance cameras in and around schools, stricter rules on cellphone use during classes, and a doubling of school security officers, who will work more closely with state police.
To officially and technically start the real process of TikTok’s ban, The National Cyber Security Authority (AKSK) requested internet companies to take the necessary actions to successfully block access to the platform. With letter no. 1196 they explained the exact measures that must be taken, which include blocking Ips, DNS (domain name system), SNI (server name indications), and addresses of the ByteDance Chinese company, which owns the platform, in the territory of Albania.
The Prime Minister officially announced the completion of the procedures and the final implementation of the ban on March 27, reports EuroNews Albania. Moreover, he warns Albanians that using a free VPN to avoid blocking is very dangerous.
Public Reaction & Political Debate
The shutting down of TikTok in Albania turns out to be true and this fact has triggered a lot of discussions.
Reactions to the ban are various. Some young people describe the platform as entertainment for their free time and do not support the government’s action. The social response is rather negative among the opposition as well. The Democratic Party even called for a protest.Ina Zhupa, an Albanian MP referred to the act as “an abuse of power to suppress freedom of speech in Albania”.
Others have similar opinions on the subject. Reuters reports that Isa Myzyraj, the Head of the Association of Journalists in Albania (AJA), also pointed out that the drastic measure restricts freedom of expression and constitutes censorship.
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, based in Germany, (ECPMF), along with SafeJournalists Network and other Media Freedom Rapid Response partners, criticized Albania’s decision as well. They strongly claimed that as a candidate country for European membership, respect for freedom of expression and media plurality must be part of Albania’s fundamental values. They expressed concern that therefore the ban is a worrying sign for Albania’s European Integration process.
Furthermore, they strongly recommended developing “a proportionate and evidence-based regulatory framework in line with European standards, particularly the EU’s Digital Service Act” to effectively address legitimate concerns about child safety and data privacy. This must be done after a transparent and thorough consultation process, they added.
Albania’s decision still follows several European countries, including France, Germany and Belgium. However, they have introduced only restrictions on children’s access to social media, while Albania is the first European nation to take such a drastic measure to block the app entirely.
Conclusion
After taking everything into account, we have established the claim “Albania bans TikTok for a year” to be true. The tragic accident with a 14-year-old boy awakens serious questions towards the dangers of social networks, especially TikTok – the most common platform for young people. The ban was successfully implemented in March this year, and although some people are actively seeking ways of avoiding it, the decision is official. It has been supported by the government and thus the measures were successfully communicated to the Albanian society.
Even though European organizations are recommending different approaches which better respect freedom of speech and align with the EU’s Digital Service Act, Albania is currently standing by its decision.
RESEARCH | ARTICLE © Paskalina Traykova, Darina Karakasheva, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria
