Martin Can's murder: From TikTok to the algorithm, how Rama's narrative about the 'culprit' changed

Prime Minister Edi Rama brought the tragic murder of 14-year-old Martin Cani back into focus this Thursday, as he presented the National Monitoring Center within the framework of the "Smart City" project, describing this investment as the institutional response to the event that shocked public opinion at the end of 2024.

During the inauguration, Rama stated that the new system, based on artificial intelligence and real-time monitoring, aims to prevent serious events and assist institutions in guaranteeing public safety.

"Today everyone has forgotten the tragic murder of a student at the 'Fan Noli' school, which created a convulsive situation with the extreme politicization of the event and with bloody journalism. I have not forgotten it, because I remember it every day while following this project. This is my response to that tragedy ," Rama said.

The Prime Minister said that the main threat to children is no longer the "neighborhood street urchin", but the algorithms of digital platforms.

"Today we are in the time of the enemy of children, the danger of the neighborhood bully that is the algorithm. This system will support us and will also focus on cooperation with parents," he declared.

However, today's statement comes in a different context than the stance the head of government took immediately after the murder of Martin Can.

From TikTok to the algorithm

After the November 2024 incident, Rama used the murder of the 14-year-old as the main argument to launch the debate on restricting TikTok in Albania. At the time, he stated that the social network was fueling hate speech, conflicts, and violent patterns among young people, describing the platform as a danger to children.

At the end of December 2024, the government decided to suspend TikTok for a period of one year.

"TikTok is the neighborhood hooligan. We are afraid when a child is accompanied by it when he leaves the house. We will close TikTok for a year. Hooligans, perversions, scum and dogs are not seen on China's TikTok," Rama declared at the time.

The decision was justified by the government as a measure to protect children and reduce violence among teenagers, while the opposition and technology experts considered it a disproportionate and politically motivated measure.

Martin Can's family's reaction

A few months later, in March 2025, Martin Can's family publicly reacted to the way their son's name was being used in the political debate.

The family stated that Martini did not have a TikTok account and that “Martini was not killed by TikTok,” but by a peer who stabbed him. They accused the government of using the tragedy to justify shutting down the platform.

From closure to reopening

The decision to block TikTok came just weeks before the 2025 parliamentary elections and was met with intense political debate. The opposition described it as an act of censorship and an attempt to limit communication on social media during the election campaign.

However, the ban was not sustainable. After months of controversy, users continued to access the platform through alternative means, and TikTok was later restored, rendering the government's measure virtually ineffective.

In today's statement, Rama did not return to the decision to close TikTok, but used a broader formulation, attributing responsibility to the "algorithm" and the influence that digital platforms exert on young people.

While he once identified TikTok as the "neighborhood street urchin," today the prime minister speaks of the algorithm as the new enemy of children, linking the solution no longer to the closure of a single platform, but to intelligent monitoring and the use of technology to prevent crime.