After a fatal tragedy, seven families are taking TikTok to court

After experiencing the unthinkable, seven French families are suing TikTok. They claim the platform exposed their teenage children to harmful content that they believe contributed to the suicides of two 15-year-olds.

The case, filed in the Créteil judicial court, is the first collective lawsuit of this nature in Europe, according to the families' lawyer.

Franceinfo reports (from a machine translation) that Laure Boutron-Marmion, a criminal lawyer specializing in youth defense, confirmed that she had submitted a case to the Créteil court on behalf of seven families, all of whom reported the same issue: a decline in their children’s physical and mental health. She noted that, tragically, some of these children are no longer here to speak for themselves, with two of the seven teenagers having taken their own lives.

These families are united through the Algos Victima collective – a center for legal and judicial support for victims and their families, with a focus on holding social media companies accountable. They accuse TikTok and its algorithm of exposing their children to dangerous content, including numerous videos promoting suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders.

Boutron-Marmion stated that the case includes substantial documentation and concrete evidence supporting each family's story. This new legal action builds on an earlier criminal complaint filed in 2023 by the parents of Marie, one of the teenagers who took her own life.

The lawyer criticized TikTok's response to the issue, arguing that social media platforms, especially TikTok, can no longer deny responsibility by claiming the content is not their own. She emphasized that TikTok is "at the helm" of the content users see, pointing out that the Chinese version of the platform is significantly more moderated, with harmful content not appearing there.

Boutron-Marmion explained that TikTok's “For You” feed and precise algorithms tailor content specifically for each user. She highlighted this as TikTok's central issue, noting that the platform pushes content onto users rather than users actively searching for it. According to her, studies indicate that content related to suicide, self-harm, and similar topics appears within just two minutes of use, which she considers a major problem. She concluded that TikTok holds full control over its algorithm and cannot evade responsibility.

TikTok is under fire

Putting aside the fact that the US government made moves to force ByteDance to sell its TikTok project to a US-based party or get banned in the US, the short video social media app is under fire from left and right.

Texas recently filed a lawsuit against TikTok for violating a new child privacy law, a move that reflects ongoing scrutiny the platform faces from lawmakers and governments.

Currently, attorney generals from 14 states and the District of Columbia have also initiated separate lawsuits against TikTok, alleging harm to children’s mental health and violations of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

New York Attorney General Letitia James emphasized that addictive features of TikTok, such as auto-playing videos and beauty filters, contribute to young people's struggles with mental health.

Critics argue that TikTok’s child safety measures are ineffective, as children can easily bypass age verification. California Attorney General Rob Bonta expressed that the platform’s claims of child safety tools are exaggerated. The lawsuits seek penalties and damages for users harmed by these practices.

In previous responses, TikTok asserted that its safeguards are effective and actively removes underage users.