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E-TJERA

1.5 million TikTok users: What are young Albanians following?

Politiko 2024-12-24 08:36:12

For Arditi , a 16-year-old teenager from Albania, TikTok is more than a social app—it's a lifestyle.

Every day, after school, he spends about four hours lost in an endless stream of videos. It's the first thing he checks in the morning and the last thing he does before he goes to bed. His iPhone screen time report shows that he spends an average of 5-6 hours a day "surfing" the platform, wandering through trending videos.

According to a report by Kepios, in Albania, TikTok has over 1.5 million users, and 35% of users are between the ages of 12-25 , making this age group the dominant age group in using the platform. This data coincides with the great interest that Albanian youth have in TikTok, which is transformed into a form of entertainment and an opportunity to express their creativity and thoughts.

As Arditi navigates TikTok, the content he sees reflects what is capturing the attention of young Albanians. The most popular videos that appear in his feed are a reflection of the culture that dominates the app, and unfortunately, many of these trends raise concerns.

Expensive cars, luxurious lives, and school fights are some of the content that often comes to the fore. These videos are often accompanied by "influencers" who flaunt their fame without any higher education, use vulgar language to attract attention, and businesses that advertise their products in a quick and unverified manner.

Trends that are attracting the attention of young Albanians:

Growing concern over TikTok's impact

Following a tragic incident in November 2024, where a teenager lost his life after a fight that was supposedly started on social media (but this was later denied), the Albanian government has taken action. Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that TikTok would be shut down for a year, blaming it for spreading violence and bullying, especially among schoolchildren. In response, the TikTok company stated that there was no evidence linking the platform to the incident, but parental concerns are growing.

TikTok's regulatory policies exist to prevent disturbing content, but they are often powerless to prevent the distribution of videos with harmful content. However, many users continue to share and watch content that violates these rules, including dangerous challenges, violence, and the underestimation of education and values.

TikTok is a platform where Albanian users are very active and mostly use hashtags related to Albanian culture and identity. According to FastMoss , some of the most used hashtags are:

Also, according to a report by Brand24 , around 240 million posts mention Albania on TikTok, reflecting a high level of engagement of Albanian users on this platform. This high level of posts and views shows the powerful influence that TikTok has on Albanian culture and society, contributing to the formation of trends and discussions that affect the younger generation./ Monitor