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Seven French families have sued TikTok for allowing their teenagers to access harmful content that led to the deaths of two 15-year-olds

Posted on by Josh L
Seven French families have sued TikTok for allowing their teenagers to access harmful content that led to the deaths of two 15-year-olds

PARIS, November 4. 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 to be held legally responsible in court,” she said, adding: “It is a for-profit company that offers a product to consumers who, moreover, are minors. Therefore, they must be responsible for product defects.”

TikTok, like other social media platforms, has long faced scrutiny over content control on its app.

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. — Reuters

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