Albania to block TikTok in the coming days

Albania will block TikTok in the coming days over concerns about children’s safety, the prime minister’s office told POLITICO.

Edi Rama, Albania’s prime minister, announced the one-year ban in late December, following the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old which followed arguments on social media.

“We say what we do and we do what we say,” Rama said in a post on X on Thursday, confirming the ban would now take effect.

The decision to block the app was taken in consultation with 65,000 parents and teachers and after its technical feasibility was studied, he said.

Opposition figures have said that the ban is an “abuse of power to suppress freedom of speech in Albania,” raising alarm over the lack of due process.

Back in December, Rama said the government would need six to eight weeks to enforce the ban.

In the meantime, the government has had “very positive dialogue with the company,” which will come to Albania to demonstrate a series of child safety measures, including in Albania, the prime minister said.

TikTok could not be immediately reached for comment.

Children’s safety online is increasingly a touchstone for European governments with efforts across the region to curb minors’ access to social media and devices.