In his remarks, Rama referred to the social media, particularly TikTok, as the “new friend” of children, which fascinates them and directs them toward negative behavior.

“Of course, today we are facing a problem that is still new to society, not only to Albanian society but to human society as a whole. Today, our children, especially the younger ones, are not just with us, their teachers, and their friends. Today, they also have another ‘friend’ who, unfortunately, they prefer more than us, more than they prefer their teachers, more than they prefer their friends, and much more than they prefer books. This ‘friend’ pops up when they unlock their phones and browse social media. Especially on TikTok, but not only on TikTok, they have a friend who tells them exactly the opposite of everything we might say at home, what their teacher might say in class, or anything that relates to their obligations, such as the responsibility to sit down and read books or to write by hand,” said Rama.

The Prime Minister stated, “This is a reality that all societies are confronting today, and in every democratic nation, there is a heated debate going on, driven by growing concerns about what is happening and how to handle the situation, which is entirely beyond the control, desires, will, or expectations of schools, parents, and society regarding our children.”
The Prime Minister emphasized that the TikTok algorithm in Western countries is different from that in China.

The Prime Minister said, “When we talk about TikTok, the issue is that in our countries, TikTok is based on an algorithm that promotes things that shouldn’t be encouraged. On the other hand, TikTok in China, the country where it originated, operates very differently. There, children are only exposed to positive content on the screen, things that everyone should see, such as how to read, how to do exercises, how to interact with friends, and how to sing. However, in our world, it’s the complete opposite. There is a heated debate going on in many countries, growing in scope, calling for these networks to be regulated, at least for those under 16,” said Rama.
/sm/