The crisis over TikTok challenge videos is growing. TikTok may be sanctioned after a 9-year-old girl died while making a video.
Short video platform TikTok is facing a new crisis over a girl who died while making a challenge video. Claiming that the 9-year-old girl drowned while doing a “blackout challenge”, the family said they are suing TikTok.
There is a ‘blackout challenge’ crisis on TikTok
Another person lost his life because of the challenges on the popular short video application TikTok. 9-year-old Arriani Jaileen Arroyo allegedly strangled herself to death while making a video. Her father, Heriberto Arroyo, reported that the child was motionless when he entered the room and was shooting a TikTok video.
In the latest lawsuit against TikTok, it was said that some rules were ignored. For example, people under the age of 13 are prohibited by law from using TikTok. But the children in all the recent deaths were under the age of 13.
In addition, the family says that the platform algorithm deliberately highlights the ‘blackout challenge’ videos and believes that their child died while trying this challenge. The following statements were included in the lawsuit file:
TikTok specifically curated the Blackout Challenge videos and determined that videos featuring users drowning themselves until they lost consciousness were suitable for young children.
According to the lawsuit, TikTok encourages young users to use social media and watch videos designed to capture their attention. The 9-year-old girl’s father said TikTok is touted as a family-oriented social media app, when in reality it is the opposite.
Although tragic, this is not the first child to die while making a TikTok video. Previously, we have seen children under the age of 13 drown themselves while trying to do the ‘blackout challenge’. Let us remind you that separate lawsuits have been filed for these children as well.
