French families sue TikTok after teenagers die from exposure to harmful content

Seven French families have filed a lawsuit against social media giant TikTok, accusing the platform of exposing their teenage children to harmful content that led to two of them taking their own lives at the age of 15, their lawyer said on Monday.

The lawsuit alleges that TikTok’s algorithm showed seven teenagers videos promoting suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, lawyer Laure Boutron-Marmion told franceinfo.

The families file a joint lawsuit in the Court of Crete. Boutron-Marmion said it was the first such clustered case in Europe.

“The parents want TikTok’s legal responsibility to be recognized in court,” she said, adding: “It is a for-profit company that offers a product to consumers who, moreover, are minors. Therefore, they should be held accountable for the product’s shortcomings.”

TikTok, like other social media platforms, has long-standing control over control the content in your application.

Like Facebook and Instagram, Meta is the subject of hundreds of lawsuits in the US, accusing them of seducing and hooking millions of children to their platforms, harming their mental health.

TikTok could not be reached for comment on the allegations.

The company has previously stated that it takes children’s mental health issues seriously.

CEO Shou Zi Chew told US lawmakers this year that the company has invested in measures to protect young people who use the app.