TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms in Albania.
On December 21, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced a one-year ban on TikTok after a 14-year-old boy had been stabbed to death by a fellow student the previous month following a fight on social media.
Rama blamed social media for fueling violence among young people.
TikTok said that there was no evidence either child had a TikTok account and that the videos leading up to the incident had been posted on another platform — not TikTok.
Last week, Rama said that he had held “fully open and constructive” talks with TikTok, “during which we established several collaboration milestones for the coming weeks and months.” He did, however, leave open the option of blocking access to the platform if need be.
In short, it is not what will happen with TikTok in Albania, and influencers and content creators there are concerned.
With parliamentary elections scheduled for May, some feel that the potential ban is politically motivated.