After a fatal tragedy, seven families sue TikTok

After experiencing the unthinkable, seven French families are suing TikTok.

They claim the platform exposed their teenage children to harmful content they believe contributed to the suicides of the two 15-year-olds.

The case in the Creteil court is the first class action of this nature in Europe, according to the families' lawyer, Laure Boutron-Marmion.

Foreign media reported that all seven families reported the same issue: a decline in their children's physical and mental health.

These families are united through the collective Algos Victima – a center for legal and judicial support for victims and their families.

They accuse TikTok and its algorithm of exposing their children to dangerous content, including numerous videos promoting suicide.

As reported, the case includes substantial documentation and concrete evidence that supports the story of each family, Telegrafi reports.

This new legal action is based on a previous criminal complaint filed in 2023 by the parents of Marie, one of the teenagers who committed suicide.

Otherwise, according to the families' lawyer, TikTok is "on top" of the content that users see, emphasizing that the Chinese version of the platform is significantly more moderate and free of harmful content.

Aside from the fact that the US government moved to force ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US-based party or be banned in the US, the app is under fire from the left and the right.

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

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

Critics argue that TikTok's child safety measures are ineffective, as children can easily bypass age verification. /Telegraph/