The girls died in 2021 after taking part in the online challenge of self-choking
The families of two girls who died in 2021 after participating in TikTok’s “Blackout Challenge” have sued the Chinese company. In Los Angeles, followed by the Legal center for victims of social media (Legal Center for Social Media Victims), Victims’ relatives oppose TikTok because of “dangerous algorithm”. who would have “repeatedly and deliberately” proposed to the girls aged 8 and 9 the videos of the challenge whose macabre goal was cause suffocation. In fact, topic-related content would have been suggested in their feed, encouraging them to participate.
The story of the girls
One of the victims was called Lalani Erika Renee Walton, 8 years old, and lived in Temple, Texas. He died on July 15, 2021, and according to police, the causes were precisely “a direct result of trying to participate in the TikTok Challenge.” the other little girl 9 years was Arriani Jaileen Arroyo from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She got her first cell phone when she was 7, and according to her relatives, she used it multiple times a day, so much that she became obsessed and addicted to it. She was found lifeless by her five-year-old brother on February 26, 2021.
The allegations against TikTok
“TikTok knew without a doubt that the blackout challenge was spreading in feed, particularly in children’s feed,” the document, prepared by the attorneys, reads. The lawsuit then includes further allegations against the social network, such as the fact that The algorithm promotes harmful content and allows minors to use the app and does not warn users or their legal guardians about social dependency. Family lawyers argue that the company also allows the distribution of dangerous content because it increases interactions between users and their use of the app. In addition, the cases of other children were cited in the documents submitted to the court, such as: a 12-year-old from Oklahoma and a 14-year-old Australian both died due to the social challenge.
Both the New York Times and the Guardian, who tried to reach a spokesman for TikTok, had no comment from the company on the case.
The recent case in England
Just a few weeks ago, news of Archie B., a 12-year-old English child, who is in hospital after taking part in the challenge, has been described as “brain dead”. He was found unconscious with a noose around his neck at his home in Southend, Essex, on April 7. According to the doctors who are following the case It’s “very likely” that Archie is brain dead and argue that life support treatment should be ended. But the parents are against this choice.
Also in Italy a dead child
Cases related to the Blackout Challenge have also been registered in our country. In January 2022, the online challenge chain resulted in the death of 10-year-old Antonella, who lived in Palermo. Then, to find her in the bathroom with a belt around her neck, relatives told how the little girl was always “stuck” to the smartphone. After the child’s death the Italian data protection authority had ordered the blocking the use of the data of users whose age has not been determined by the register.
July 8th
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