Flash News

NAME/ The assets of the businessman in Gjirokastra are seized! How Berisha denounced him in 2019

Hostage taking in Tirana, 40-year-old man forcibly taken into car

Car catches fire in Tirana

SPAK announces the claim for "Sterilization", seeks 10-year sentences for Klodian Rjepaj and Ilir Rrapaj

Gunfight at the Institute, 7 people involved, one of them arrested

E-TJERA

TikTok returns to Albania, one-year ban quietly lifted after three months

Politiko 2025-06-25 14:49:14

TikTok returns to Albania, one-year ban quietly lifted after three months

The TikTok platform has officially returned to Albania, more than three months after the government's decision to ban it for a period of one year.

Albanian citizens have reported today that they have full access to the application, without any restrictions, as it was before March 13, 2025 when the ban came into effect.

The decision to temporarily close TikTok was taken by the Council of Ministers on March 6, 2025, with the stated aim of protecting children and young people from harmful content that incites violence and bullying. The Minister of Education, Ogerta Manastirliu, described the measure at the time as a temporary intervention to establish safety criteria and rules for the use of the platform in cooperation with the company itself.

The decision followed extensive consultations with over 65,000 parents and teachers at more than 1,300 meetings across the country. The impetus for the initiative was also the public climate following a tragic incident on November 18, 2024, where a 9-year-old child was killed by a peer – although it was later determined that the incident was not directly related to TikTok.

However, the ban proved ineffective. Most users managed to bypass it by using virtual private networks (VPNs), leading to a record 1,200% increase in VPN usage on the first day of the ban alone, according to data from ProtonVPN. TikTok remained among the most used apps, with an estimated 1.53 million active users over the age of 18 at the end of 2024.

An analysis by Pikasa Analytics showed that the ban had minimal effect on usage of the platform. There was a modest 3.3% drop in the number of posts, while video views increased by 14% compared to the week before the ban.

The restoration of access to TikTok occurred without fanfare or public announcement.

TikTok remains one of the most popular platforms among young Albanians. According to Kepio data, 35% of users are between the ages of 12 and 25, while the audience is divided into 52.7% male and 47.3% female.

The application, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, is the subject of numerous debates around the world over its impact on young people and data security./ Monitor

Latest news