A recent lawsuit filed against TikTok alleging the deaths of two children who attempted to complete the “Blackout Challenge” cited another five fatal cases. All with children under 15 as victims.
As a result, at least seven child deaths related to the challenge occurred in 2021, according to the allegations. The app is directly blamed due to its algorithm (which ultimately sends the deadly content to the victims). The latest lawsuit was filed by the parents of 8yearold Lalani Walton and 9yearold Arriani Arroyo.
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The complaint notes that the challenge “encourages users to choke themselves on belts, purse strings, or the like until they pass out.” In addition to the two 8 and 9yearolds, the cases listed include two 10yearolds (one in Italy and one in the US state of Pennsylvania), two 12yearolds in the US and a 14yearold from Australia. All alleged victims of the 2021 Blackout Challenge.
According to TikTok, the challenge predates the app
The 10yearold’s Pennsylvania mother, Nylah Anderson, who is also suing TikTok, claims the app “promoted extremely and unacceptably dangerous challenges.” In response to that lawsuit, the company said it blocked searches for the challenge on its platform and that the troubling practice “that people seem to be learning about from sources other than TikTok” existed long before the app.
In the latest lawsuit, the families allege that the children were not looking for a challenge when they saw the videos, which appeared on the “For You” page on TikTok’s main victim screen. The allegations are that the app has determined that the content is “appropriate and suitable for young children”.
Among the arguments, the lawsuit brings that since TikTok announces and promotes some challenges, it has a duty to monitor such content. Whether they are posted or circulated on the platform, preventing them from spreading.
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