"Protection from a very negative influence"/ Rama: Closing TikTok was the right step

2025-04-02 21:46:00, Politikë CNA

"Protection from a very negative influence"/ Rama: Closing TikTok was

Prime Minister Edi Rama, in his speech during the meeting with teachers, parents and community representatives of unit no. 5 in the capital, held at the "Besnik Sykja" general secondary school, said that the closure of 'TikTok' was the right step. Rama said that this decision offers protection from a very negative influence for young people and adolescents.

Raam emphasized that this process was accomplished thanks to interaction and consultation with teachers and parents.

Rama added that opening the platform from so-called free VPNs found on the internet is very dangerous because they practically make the phone vulnerable to theft with all the data inside.

"I want to start with the fact that when I entered, I was reminded of that very interesting cycle of meetings that we held together with Ogerta, with teachers and parents throughout the territory. It happened as a result of the need to advise and listen to the opinion of teachers and parents regarding TikTok, but in the meantime, I was able to listen and learn a lot from that interaction."

I am glad that TikTok has been closed today and that we have provided children and students with protection from a very negative influence that was hovering over them 24/7. I would like to take this opportunity to repeat it to everyone and it is good for teachers to tell parents, but also students, that trying to install TikTok using the so-called free VPNs found on the internet is very dangerous because they practically make the phone vulnerable to theft with all the data inside, so parents should be careful in this regard.

In the meantime, we have entered into a dialogue with the company, through the AKSHI and the Ministry of Education, and have requested that the company, if it is to regain access to the Republic of Albania, present us with a credible and convincing proposal for a certain number of safety filters for our children.

And at the same time, a specific program to stimulate learning, to stimulate the learning of science, mathematics, and so on, things that TikTok actually has in its range of services. Of course, also for other harmless parts, while it must guarantee that children and adolescents are protected from dangerous parts.

The company has taken my point of view very seriously and has promised to present this proposal to us.

I have told them and we have told them that in all cases what the company will offer us will have to be shared with the teachers and the parents. I will also have to get their approval in the sense that the teachers and the parents must be informed about what it is about. So, what changes will be made and what these changes will bring. So I hope, I believe that in a not too distant future they will come to Albania and we will then have the opportunity to come back to you and share this data that we will get from the company's proposal.

But, what happens is that it's actually every minute and that's why I really believe that closing TikTok hasn't solved all this problem, but it was the right step and I thank all the teachers and parents, 95% of them have encouraged us to take this step.

It hasn't been an easy step. We're neither America nor Britain, we're a small country and TikTok is as many countries as us put together, but I believe we did the right thing and we did our duty.

On the other hand, I also believe that perhaps we do not have the strength to face this parallel universe, where our children live a large part of their time and where we find it impossible to penetrate, but on the other hand we should not give up and the only way I see, that we see, is to raise the interaction between school, parents and institutions to another level", said Rama. /CNA