Two American girl's parents who suffered from self-asphyxiation and died in their home have filed a complaint against TikTok. The parents claim that TikTok's algorithm manipulated their children into taking part in the "headscarf challenge", which encourages them to succumb to unconsciousness.
Attorney Matthew Bergman stated Tuesday that TikTok must be held responsible for the targeting of these young girls with dangerous content. His firm, The Social Media Victims Law Center, specializes in representing victims of abuse related the the functioning of social media networks.
He stated that TikTok had invested billions in products to deliver dangerous content. This content can cause the death of users.
The popular application, which is part of the Chinese group ByteDance did not immediately respond to AFP's request.
In the past, she has recalled that this particular challenge existed longer than social media. Every year, accidents are caused by the "scarf game" (or blackout challenge), in which children hold their breath and experience adrenaline rushes.
Los Angeles, June 9, 2006: Lalani Walton (8 years old) and Arriani Arroyo (9 years old) were the subjects of a Los Angeles complaint.
Her stepmother found Lalani "hanging from her mattress with a rope around the neck" and took her to hospital. She thought that if she posted a clip of herself performing the "blackout challenge", she would be famous. She decided to give it another try," the complaint details. Arriani tried to asphyxiate herself by using the leash of her dog.
Matthew Bergman's company is investigating the content discovery page of the app (the "For You Page") where the algorithm suggests videos based on users' tastes.
The complaint details some of the challenges broadcast by the platform users, including the "burning mirror" challenge and the "boiling waters challenge".
TikTok addiction can cause severe damage. These include distractions at the cost of school, sports, and socializing in person, as well as sleep loss, severe depression, anxiety and self-harm. In the complaint
Italy temporarily stopped TikTok access for users under 18 after the death in January 2021 of a young girl who participated in the "headscarf" game on the social media network.
