Recently, at the beginning of this month, Albania was shocked by a tragic incident where a 14-year-old boy was murdered by a classmate. To add to the horror, the suspect even boasted on social media with photos of his injuries after the incident and had posted images of himself holding a knife just days before the event took place. This heartbreaking incident sparked outrage among the Albanian people, leading to widespread protests in the country.
On Wednesday, the 27th of November, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama met with teachers and parents from public schools in the capital city of Tirana to discuss the possibility of banning TikTok and Snapchat. The aim is to mitigate the risks these social media platforms pose to children’s mental health, privacy, and safety.
The knife attack incident has raised significant concerns among authorities and the general public, questioning the role of social media in exacerbating violent behavior.
Rama expressed that prohibiting children from using TikTok and Snapchat is not the only solution but a means to prevent the encouragement of “violence, bullying, and foolish behavior.” He stated that all social media platforms, especially Snapchat and TikTok, have “problems” and often contribute to “spreading chaos.”
According to Rama, “TikTok, outside of China, behaves like a well-planned operation aimed at creating global chaos.” Interestingly, Rama himself has a verified TikTok account with around 136,100 followers.
While it has been a long-standing practice for Albanian schools to ban students from using mobile phones, Rama believes it is time to adopt new approaches. He emphasized that the government will carefully listen to all opinions, engage in further discussions with teachers and parents nationwide, and make decisions cautiously without rushing into any “strict measures.”
Parents attending the meeting expressed worries about the impact of social media on their children and unanimously agreed that some form of intervention is necessary. The violence or provocative content displayed on these platforms may have adverse effects on minors, influencing them to imitate or support violent behaviors.
However, some TikTok videos have shown that some minors express support for the school knife attack incident or other violent acts.