SHALOM OLALEYE
Seven families in France have filed a lawsuit against social media giant TikTok, accusing it of endangering their teenagers’ mental health by exposing them to disturbing content that reportedly contributed to the suicides of two teenagers.
The families argue that TikTok’s recommendation algorithm steered their children, all adolescents, toward videos promoting self-harm, suicide, and disordered eating.
Their attorney, Laure Boutron-Marmion, stated,
These parents have been shattered, and they’re seeking accountability from TikTok. They feel the platform must answer for the harm it has caused to their children.
The legal action, filed collectively in the Créteil judicial court, represents the first unified case in Europe against TikTok on these grounds.
The families aim to hold the platform legally responsible, saying it has failed to protect young and impressionable users from harmful material.
This is a product that impacts young people who are still developing emotionally. These parents entrusted TikTok to safeguard their children online and now feel severely let down. Laure explained.
TikTok has not yet responded to the lawsuit, though the platform has previously stated its commitment to ensuring the safety of younger users.