Families file lawsuit against TikTok for exposing children to harmful content

According to reports in the national press, 7 families in France have filed a lawsuit against the Chinese social media platform TikTok, which has approximately 1.6 billion users, stating that their children were exposed to content promoting self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders.

Among the plaintiffs are two families whose daughters died by suicide, as well as four families who claim their children attempted suicide due to content they encountered on TikTok. Another family alleges that their child developed an eating disorder after being exposed to the application.

Similar lawsuits have previously been filed against TikTok in the US and various parts of Europe on the grounds that harmful content poses a threat to children and young people.

Launched in September 2016, the short-form video sharing platform TikTok operates under its Chinese parent company ByteDance and reaches approximately 1.6 billion users worldwide.

While some countries, including Jordan, India, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Taiwan, have banned TikTok for various reasons, countries such as Australia, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand have prohibited the use of the application on government-owned computers and devices.

News Source: 12punto