French Families sue Tik Tok over alleged lack of removal of harmful content

By Alimat Aliyeva

Seven French families have filed a lawsuit against the social media giant TikTok. They accuse the platform of exposing their teenage children to harmful content, which led to the suicides of two of them at the age of 15, Azernews reports.

The lawsuit alleges that the TikTok algorithm exposed seven teenagers to videos encouraging suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders, according to a lawyer's interview with a local TV channel.

The families are taking joint legal action in the court of Créteil, 11.5 km from Paris. L. Boutron-Marmion noted that this is the first such group case in Europe.

"The parents want TikTok's legal liability to be recognized in court. It is a commercial company offering a product to consumers who are also minors, and they should therefore be responsible for the shortcomings of the product," she added.

Like other social media platforms, TikTok has long faced criticism regarding its content moderation practices.

Instagram, Facebook, and Meta have been the subjects of hundreds of lawsuits in the United States, accusing them of seducing millions of children and fostering dependence on social platforms that harm their mental health.
The company has previously stated that it takes children's mental health issues seriously. The CEO of TikTok, Zee Chu, told U.S. lawmakers this year that the company has invested in measures to protect young people using the app.