Albania has announced a nationwide TikTok ban for at least one year, marking the first complete shutdown of the platform by a European country. Prime Minister Edi Rama has confirmed the decision after consulting with parent communities and teachers across the country.

The ban, set to take effect in early 2025, follows the November stabbing death of a 14-year-old schoolboy by a fellow student, according to The Guardian. While local media reported that the incident stemmed from social media arguments, TikTok claimed it found no evidence that either the perpetrator or victim maintained accounts on its platform.

“For one year, we’ll be completely shutting it down for everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania,” Rama said in a statement. The PM points to domestic research showing Albanian children constitute the country’s largest user group of TikTok.

The decision arrives amid increasing parental concerns about students bringing weapons to school and rising instances of bullying reportedly influenced by TikTok content. Rama claims on X that over 90% of parents support the ban.

The Guardian reports that TikTok requested “urgent clarity” from the Albanian government regarding the connection between its platform and the fatal stabbing. The company maintains that videos related to the incident appeared on another platform.

Rama responded in the X post that TikTok has no grounds to demand clarifications from Albania because “in Albania, it is Albanians who make the decisions, not the owners of TikTok’s algorithm.” 

He adds, “While Albania may be too small to demand that TikTok protects children and youth from the frightening pitfalls of its algorithm, we sincerely hope TikTok will take this step for the benefit of humanity, including Albania.”

Albanian government officials contrast the platform’s operations in China, where they say TikTok promotes educational content and environmental preservation while implementing stronger protections for young users.

The ban represents part of a broader school safety initiative that includes enhanced police presence and stronger parent-school cooperation. Rama indicates Albania will monitor both TikTok’s response and other countries’ actions during the shutdown before deciding whether to reinstate the platform’s operations.

Opposition figures, including Albanian Democratic Party lawmaker Ina Zhupa, criticized the move as “a grave act against freedom of speech and democracy” and a “pure electoral act and abuse of power.”

Albania’s decision follows varying degrees of social media restrictions for children implemented by other European nations, including France, Germany, and Belgium. In November, Australia enacted one of the world’s strictest regulations, completely banning social media for users under 16.

On December 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld legislation that forces TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. operations by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban, citing national security concerns over data privacy and foreign influence.

Rama frames the ban as an ultimatum to the platform: “Either TikTok protects the children of Albania, or Albania will protect its children from TikTok.”

The government plans to evaluate the company’s response and international developments during the one-year period before determining whether to permit TikTok to resume operations in Albania.