TikTok has officially been banned in Albania, with government officials citing bullying and violence among children as the primary concern.
The popular video sharing app has been on the receiving end of bans and restrictions over the last few years, with the looming TikTok ban in the US continuing to cause potential issues for users.
Albania has pulled the trigger, though, committing to at least 12 months of no TikTok in the country in hopes of curbing the nefarious behavior that the country claims is being encouraged by the app.
Albanian Cabinet Announces TikTok Ban
Albanian officials have confirmed that the one-year TikTok ban in the country will, in fact, take effect in the coming days. Announced in December, the ban hopes to cut down on the violence and bullying that have surfaced due to the app in recent years.
The decision to ban the app outright was made in conference with over 65,000 parents over more than a thousand meetings, according to the Albanian authorities, with many of them encouraging the ban for the country.
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TikTok executives have been working with Albanian officials to hopefully reinstate the app after a year, with better parental controls, age verification, and more inclusivity around the Albanian language.
Why Is Albania Banning TikTok?
While some countries are banning TikTok for national security, Albania has a much more serious claim against the social media app: incitement of violence and youth bullying.
The push to ban TikTok came after a November incident that saw a 14-year-old stabbed after an argument that originated on the app.
While TikTok said that it “found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts,” that doesn’t change the fact that users of TikTok will be out of luck in Albania for at least the next year.
Other Countries That Have Banned TikTok
Albania isn’t the first country to ban TikTok and it likely won’t be the last. The social media app has been rife with controversy over its lifespan, and there are likely plenty of government officials around the world that will take issue in the future.
Currently, India and Afghanistan are the only countries that have full bans of TikTok in place, but there are other countries that have gone the partial route. France, Canada, and Australia, for example, have banned the app on government devices due to security concerns.
Beyond that, the US TikTok ban could be back on the table if a US buyer isn’t found, although we all know how that turned out last time.
