Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has rejected TikTok's response to the banning of the platform in the country, insisting that the government's actions were not a "hasty reaction to an incident".
Rama announced that Albania is suspending TikTok from early 2025. In a statement released within hours, a TikTok spokesperson said, "We are seeking urgent clarity from the Albanian government."
"Regarding the mentioned tragic incident, we found no evidence that the perpetrator or the victim had TikTok accounts, and reports indicate that the videos related to these incidents were posted on another platform and not on TikTok."
In a post on X, Rama insisted that the ban was "a carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country.
"TikTok has no reason to ask for clarification from Albania, because in Albania decisions are made by Albanians, not by the owners of the TikTok algorithm," he added. The decision to block the social network was taken less than a month after a 14-year-old boy was killed and another injured in a fight near a school in Tirana.
The fight developed as a result of an online confrontation on social networks.
The killing sparked a debate in the country among parents, psychologists and educational institutions about the impact of social networks on young people.
Announcing the ban, the government also said it would launch educational programmes for students and parents.
"Claiming that the teen's murder had no connection to TikTok because the conflict did not occur on the platform shows a misunderstanding of both the seriousness of the threat TikTok poses to children and youth today," Rama wrote.
The TikTok app is particularly popular among young people around the world, seduced by its ultra-short, constantly scrolling video formats.
The app surpasses all its competitors in its ability to grab attention.
TikTok has been accused of espionage in the United States and is being investigated by the European Union over allegations that it was used to influence Romania's presidential election in favour of a far-right candidate.
The platform has also been banned for use by government officials in several countries.
AFP, along with more than a dozen other fact-checking organisations, is paid by TikTok in several countries to check videos that potentially contain false information. | BGNES