At a meeting with Tirana high school principals at the Ministry of Education, Edi Rama shifted the debate from the protests to control over minors, social media and criminal responsibility. According to the prime minister’s account, the government is working on restricting the use of social media for children under 16 and is also considering possible changes in its approach to minors involved in acts of violence.
The government signals new intervention targeting minors
Rama said a ban on social media for children up to the age of 16 is being studied. He linked the idea to what he said is the influence platforms such as TikTok have on teenagers and to what he described as the detachment of some young people from real social life.
Lowering the age for criminal punishment also on the table
The prime minister said the possibility of lowering the age for criminal punishment is also under review, referring to a debate that, according to him, is also taking place in other European countries. He clarified that this remains an option under study, while in parallel the government is also preparing administrative measures for damage to public and private property.
Rama insisted that those who cause damage during protests must pay, while implying that the financial burden could also extend to parents when minors are involved. This approach was presented as part of a broader package of state response.
Protests, police and the official narrative
In the same remarks, Rama defended the actions of the State Police and rejected accusations of disproportionate use of force. He cited figures for injured officers and wounded protesters, arguing that this data, in his view, disproves claims of police violence beyond the limits of the law.
A significant part of the prime minister’s statement focused on stigmatizing groups he described as masked, paid or encouraged by political interests and foreign actors. These remain political claims made by the head of government, without being accompanied in this appearance by new public evidence.
Schools and parents in the government’s focus
Rama asked school principals to keep a kind of detailed diary of the events of recent days, with the aim of later building, in his words, a fuller picture of the situation. He also stressed communication with parents, presenting the family as a link of responsibility for the behavior of minors.
The political message of the appearance was clear: the government is linking the protest crisis not only to public order, but also to education, parenting and minors’ use of technology. This is precisely where the broader public debate begins: how far can the state go in the name of security without infringing fundamental freedoms and rights.
Rama’s statements open several fronts at once: control over social media, harsher responsibility for minors, and an expanded punitive role for the state toward violent protest.
Beyond the political rhetoric, it remains to be seen whether these ideas will turn into concrete legal initiatives and what constitutional and public scrutiny they will face.