Albania Bans TikTok In The Aftermath Of A Youth Murder Case

JAKARTA - Albania announced a one-year ban on TikTok, following the murder of a teenager last month that raised concerns over the social media's influence on children.

TikTok's ban will take effect early next year, Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama said after meeting with groups of parents and teachers.

"For one year, we will completely shut down for everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania," Rama said.

"The problem today is not for our children, the problem today is us, today's problem is our society, today's problem is TikTok and all parties who take our children hostage," continued Rama.

Meanwhile, TikTok said it was seeking clarification "encouraged" from the Albania government.

"We found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had a TikTok account, and several reports confirm that videos leading to this incident were posted on other platforms instead of TikTok," a company spokesman said commenting on the teenage murder case that led to the ban on the popular short video app.