The families of two children who allegedly died while trying to meet TikTok's "blackout challenge" have filed a lawsuit against the platform in the United States. They allege that the social network's "dangerous" algorithms were responsible for their children's deaths.
The case was registered in Los Angeles County, California, last Tuesday (5). Both families are represented by SMVLC (Social Media Victims Law Center), a law firm that serves parents of children harmed by social media addiction and abuse.
“TikTok needs to be held accountable for sending deadly content to these two young women,” says Matthew P. Bergman, founding lawyer of SMVLC, in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian. “TikTok has invested billions of dollars to intentionally design products that push content that it knows is dangerous and results in the death of its users.”
The ′′ blackout challenge ′′ has become quite popular on TikTok in 2021. Basically, the challenge is to encourage participants to hold their breath until they pass out. In April of the same year, a child in Italy also died while trying to carry out the activity.
Read more:
- TikTok challenge causes child to have a piece of intestine removed
- 'Euphoria Challenge' worries parents and teachers; know the risks
- Mother says TikTok algorithm re-enacted challenge that would have led to her daughter's death
TikTok addiction promised children
One of the victims, Lalani Erika Renee Walton, 8, of Temple (Texas), is described in the lawsuit as “an extremely sweet and outgoing young woman” who “loved dressing up as a princess and playing with makeup”. She died on July 15, 2021 in what local police said was "a direct result of TikTok's attempted 'blackout challenge'," according to the complaint in the case.
Lalani got a smartphone in April 2021 and "quickly became addicted to watching videos on TikTok". On the day of her death, she spent hours on a family trip viewing clips on the platform, including posts from the challenge. “She also believed that if she posted a video of herself doing the blackout challenge, she would become famous on TikTok and so she decided to give it a try,” reports the complaint.
Arriani Jaileen Arroyo, 9, from Milwaukee (Wisconsin), is the other victim named in the lawsuit. She got a phone at age 7 and "gradually became obsessive" on TikTok, posting daily dance videos.
In January 2021, following a wake-up call in the family, Arriani assured his parents that he would never participate in dangerous challenges. A month later, however, she was found dead by her five-year-old brother.
In addition to responsibility for the deaths, the lawsuit lists a number of complaints against TikTok, including allowing underage users on the platform and failing to alert users and legal guardians about its addictive nature. For now, the company has not responded to the case.
Source: Guardian
Main Image Credit: Ascannio/Shutterstock
Have you watched our new videos on YouTube? Subscribe to our channel!
