TikTok is facing multiple lawsuits from parents who say their children died from strangulation attempting a “blackout challenge” after the app showed them videos of others trying. A lawsuit filed against the company in June alleges that at least seven specific children died last year while trying to complete the challenge. All children who died were reportedly under the age of 15.
We won’t go into the troubling details of these cases, but you can read the full complaint below for more background on some of the children and how they overcame the challenges.
The latest lawsuit was brought by the parents of Lalani Walton, 8, and Arriani Arroyo, 9. However, as evidence that TikTok is aware of the problem, it cites several other children who also died after attempting the challenge. In addition to Walton and Arroyo, the following cases are listed:
The 10-year-old Pennsylvania native’s mother, Nylah Anderson, is also suing the company, claiming the app “raises extremely dangerous and unacceptable challenges.” In response to the lawsuit, TikTok told The Washington Post that it prevented users from checking out blackout challenges — instead, users would see a warning screen for them that said “some online challenges are dangerous and disruptive, even fictional.” ”. And get a link to a page in the app to rate challenges and alerts.
However, Smith and Arroyo’s new suits claim their kids aren’t looking for a challenge when they watch the video. Instead, they say, TikTok puts it on the “For You” page on the app’s home screen. The lawsuit says the company “specially curated and determined that these blackout challenge videos — videos of users deliberately strangling themselves until they pass out — are suitable for young children.”
According to the log, TikTok spokesperson Mahsau Cullinane would only issue the company’s previous statement:
This disturbing “challenge” that people seem to be learning about from sources other than TikTok has existed long before our platform, and was never a TikTok trend. We remain vigilant about our commitment to user safety and will remove content immediately if we find it. We express our deepest condolences for the tragic loss of the family.
Challenges are a core part of the TikTok experience — so much so that competitors have started integrating them into their platforms to attract TikTok users. Some challenges only involve dance moves, while others are less innocuous. A notorious challenge circulating among platform users encouraged students to steal or destroy school property. The platform is known for its challenges, so much so that the company is sometimes associated with platforms that spread to other websites or apps, even appearing to be fictional.
Smith and Arroyo’s lawsuit argues that because TikTok promotes and promotes some of the challenges, it “has a duty to monitor the videos and challenges that are shared, posted and/or disseminated on its apps and platforms to ensure that there are no dangerous and deadly ones. Videos and Challenges.” Posted, shared, disseminated, recommended and/or encouraged. “
The company faces lawsuits and fines for children accessing its platform. In 2019, it agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle FTC fees that allow users under 13 to sign up without parental permission. About a year later, Family Matching Mode was introduced, allowing parents to link their accounts with their children’s and control how much content they see and how much time they can spend on the app.
