Tikok lock in Albania: censorship or necessary protection for young people?

Tikok lock in Albania: censorship or necessary protection for young people?

In Albania there is a massive step against the popular video platform TikTok: The government plans to switch off the service for a full twelve months in the coming days. Minister of Education Ogerta Manastirliu announced on Thursday that the lock announced in December 2023 will soon be implemented. The background to this decision is worrying incidents, including the murder of a 14-year-old that resulted from an online conflict between students in Tirana, as well as oe24.at reported.

The government's decision has caused great controversy. The Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama had introduced the measure to protect the youth and their well -being. But the opposition sees it differently: Sali Berisha, the opposition leader, described the lock as an "act of censorship", which affects over one million TikTok users in Albania. He claims that these measures move to Albania in a row with countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, which raises concerns about the right freedom of expression. This was also confirmed by Tagesspiegel

opposition and public discussion

While the Albanian government draws attention to the widespread influence of social media on young people, psychologists and parents have sparked a heated debate about the dangers of platforms such as Tiktok. In particular, the case of the killed student raised profound questions. However, critics of the government warn that the measure not only affects the aspects of the protection of young people, but also has far -reaching political implications because the upcoming parliamentary elections come into play in May. The company is therefore at a critical point where the balance between protection and freedom must be re -explored.