Albania bans Tik Tok for a year, while in Europe there is no common vision

Albania recently announced a one-year ban on the use of TikToka drastic decision made following the killing of a teenager last month, which has reignited debate about the influence of social media on young people and online safety.

Prime Minister Edi Rama confirmed the ban, as part of a broader plan to strengthen security in schoolsafter meeting with groups of parents and teachers from across the country. “For one year, we will close it completely for everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania“, Rama said.

Several European countries, including France, Germany and Belgium, have already imposed restrictions on the use of social media for minors. Australia, with one of the world’s toughest regulations against Big Tech, passed a total social media ban on children under 16 in November.

Rama accused social media, and TikTok in particular, of fueling violence among young people in and out of school. His government’s decision comes after a 14-year-old student was stabbed to death in November by a classmate. Local media had reported that the incident occurred following arguments between the two boys on social media. Videos of young people supporting the killing had also appeared on TikTok.

“The problem today is not our children, the problem today is us, the problem today is our society, the problem today is TikTok and all the others who take our children hostage“, Rama said. According to local researchers, Albanian children make up the largest group of TikTok users in the country. Concern has grown among Albanian parents after reports of children bringing knives and other objects to school to use in arguments or cases of bullying promoted by stories seen on TikTok.

“TikTok’s operations in China, where its parent company is based, are diverse, promoting how to study better, how to preserve nature… and so on“, according to Rama. In China, TikTok is “preventing children from being sucked into this abyss.”

Actually China adopts a radically different approach, characterized by widespread and pervasive control over the internetsocial media and video games. The main strategies include the blocking of foreign social networks thanks to the “Great Firewall” which prevents access to global platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, replaced by strictly controlled local equivalents and content censorship, whereby content considered politically sensitive or contrary to the official narrative is removed. They are also expected limitations on playing time for minorsgovernment approval for video games and promotion of content that conveys “healthy” values.

Even in Italy, the issue of protecting minors online is the subject of attention from the government and legislators. Although there are no total bans as in Albania, Italy has also adopted various measures and initiatives such as the law on the protection of minors online: law no. 71/2017 combats cyberbullying and provides mechanisms for removing harmful content. Video Game Rating Guidelines (PEGI) provide guidance on the recommended age for playing video games, based on content. However, there are no time limits on the use of video games and on the presence, whether active or passive, on social media. And the time spent in the company of the smartphone is becoming a crucial educational issue for the new generations.