The parents of four teenagers in England have filed a lawsuit against Tiktok following the tragic death of their children.
Isaac Kennevan (13), Archie Buttersby (12), Julian “Juls” Sweeney (14), and 13-year-old Maia Walsh, who rose to fame on social media in 2021, tragically lost their lives in 2022 while attempting a dangerous “challenge,” as stated in the lawsuit.
The Social Media Victims Law Center based in the US lodged a wrongful death lawsuit against Tiktok and its parent company Baitedan on behalf of the grieving parents.
Matthew Bergman, the founding attorney for the Social Media Victims Law Center, revealed, “Three of the four children succumbed to self-stable after being exposed to the hazardous Tiktok Blackout Challenge, all from a similar city and demographic. This does not seem coincidental.”
Bergman further claimed, “Tiktok deliberately targets these vulnerable children with perilous content to boost engagement and profit. The deliberate business decision by Tiktok cost the lives of these four children.”
Tiktok has asserted that searches related to the challenge have been restricted since 2020 and they strive to ban and eliminate harmful content promptly. They also direct users to their safety center if they search for related keywords or videos.
The lawsuit, on behalf of Archie’s mother Holly Dance, Isaac’s mother Lisa Kennevan, Juls’ mother Ellenroom, and Maia’s father Liam Walsh, was filed in the Superior Court of Delaware.
The lawsuit accused Tiktok of marketing itself as a safe and fun platform for children while promoting dangerous and addictive content. Tiktok allegedly engaged children with risky challenges to increase revenue.
Tiktok dismissed claims that they allowed the Blackout Challenge on their platform, asserting that they are actively working to address such issues. However, other perilous challenges involving drugs, hot water, and fire have emerged on Tiktok.
The lawsuit also highlighted that parents believed Tiktok was harmless, catering to children’s entertainment, without anticipating mental health repercussions.
The Social Media Victims Law Center represents families affected by harmful social media content, aiming to prevent the promotion of harmful videos, including those depicting suicide or self-harm, especially among children.
One of the cases involved Tawainna Anderson suing Tiktok in 2022 after her daughter Naira, aged 10, participated in the Blackout Challenge. The appeals court reinstated her case in August 2024.
Archie’s cause of death was determined to be accidental experimentation at his home, with the Blackout Challenge cited as a potential factor among many others.
Juls’ mother is advocating for parents to have legal rights to access their children’s social media accounts following the tragic loss of her son in 2022.
Amendments to the Online Safety Law in the UK aim to compel social media platforms to shield children from dangerous challenges and stunt content while actively eradicating risky material.
Source: www.theguardian.com
