French families sue TikTok, here’s WHY

Not only France, in the United States the social media giant TikTok is currently facing hundreds of lawsuits.

Big problems for social media giant TikTok in France! A total of seven French families have filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the platform of exposing their adolescent children to harmful content that they claim has had serious consequences, including two tragic deaths by suicide.

The lawsuit, filed in the Créteil court in Paris, represents the first class action of its kind in Europe, said Laure Boutron-Marmion, the lawyer representing the families.

What are the accusations against TikTok?

The families claim TikTok’s algorithm exposed their children, all teenagers, to a series of disturbing videos promoting suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. These claims echo similar allegations that major social media platforms have faced in recent years regarding their content moderation practices and the potential mental health impacts of their algorithms.

“The parents want TikTok’s legal liability to be recognized by the court,” Boutron-Marmion said in a statement to Franceinfo. “This is a commercial company that offers a product to consumers who are also minors. They must therefore be held accountable for the product’s shortcomings.” The case highlights an ongoing debate about the responsibilities of technology companies to protect vulnerable users, especially minors, from harmful content.

Impact on affected families

The legal action has been deeply personal for the families involved, including the parents of Marie, a 15-year-old girl who died by suicide in 2021. Marie’s mother previously shared that her daughter accessed disturbing content on TikTok without sufficient moderation, which she believes contributed to her tragic death.

Another family also lost their daughter to suicide, while four of the other five teens involved in the lawsuit attempted suicide and suffered from serious mental health issues, including eating disorders.

These stories mirror those of other high-profile cases, such as that of Molly Russell, a British schoolgirl who committed suicide in 2017 after viewing content related to self-harm and suicide on Instagram and Pinterest.

Attorney Boutron-Marmion noted that such cases lead to increased awareness among parents about the potential risks associated with social media use.

“Parents are starting to wake up. Many of them were unaware of the horrors circulating on the platforms. Although I have noticed a change in mentality, the problem remains: addiction persists, even among adults,” Boutron-Marmion said in an interview earlier this year.

How has TikTok responded?

TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world and has millions of young users. The company has faced increasing criticism and legal scrutiny over its content moderation policies and the potential risks to children’s mental health.

In response to these concerns, TikTok has claimed that its community guidelines do not allow content that promotes suicide, self-harm or eating disorders and that it uses a combination of advanced technology and human moderation to enforce these standards.

In a statement on the current legal proceedings in France, TikTok said it had not yet received formal notice of the lawsuit. The company reiterated that it takes issues related to children’s mental health seriously and highlighted its investments in safety measures. Earlier this year, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told US lawmakers that the company had committed significant resources to protecting young users.

Lawsuit after lawsuit for TikTok

TikTok’s challenges are not limited to France. In the United States, the company is currently facing hundreds of lawsuits alleging that the company and other major platforms such as Meta’s Facebook and Instagram have enticed children into excessive use that harms their mental health. Last month, more than a dozen U.S. states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok, accusing the company of promoting compulsive and excessive use among teens.

READ ALSO: