Several lawsuits have been filed against popular video sharing app TikTok after two children reportedly died while attempting the platform’s trending “Blackout Challenge.” As part of the challenge, children try to choke themselves unconscious and record themselves while doing so.
In the latest lawsuit filed, the family of 9-year-old Arriani Arroyo of Milwaukee and 10-year-old Nylah Anderson of Pennsylvania accuses the video-sharing platform of pushing content that encouraged their daughters to try the deadly challenge. The families’ lawyer, Matt Berman of Social Media Victims Loss Center, shared with reporters, "It’s the contention of the family that TikTok knew, or should’ve known, that its algorithm was leading children down this horrible path and didn't do anything about it because their goal was to maximize user engagement over above having a safe product."
The circumstances of Arroyo’s death mimic allegations made by Nylah Anderson’s family. The Anderson family accuse the app of tailoring their daughter's experience on the platform in a manner that pushed the harmful videos her way. The family’s wrongful death lawsuit explains that TikTok’s “algorithm determined that the deadly Blackout Challenge was well-tailored and likely to be of interest to 10-year-old Nylah Anderson, and she died as a result.”
The lawsuit takes aim at TikTok’s ‘For You’ page which specifically tailors the content for each user. The more a user watches a specific type of video, the more that specific content is pushed out to the user. The use of demographics, prior search history, and viewing activity are all used to carefully curate a user's ‘For You’ feed.
The lawsuit alleges that “The TikTok Defendants’ app and algorithm are intentionally designed to maximize user engagement and dependence and powerfully encourage children to engage in a repetitive and dopamine-driven feedback loop by watching, sharing, and attempting viral challenges and other videos. TikTok is programming children for the sake of corporate profits and promoting addiction.”
The two girls named as victims in the lawsuit are the latest users to die because of the choking challenge. This past year, a 12-year-old in Colorado, a 12-year-old in Oklahoma, a 10-year-old in Italy, and a 14-year-old in Australia all died after attempting the choking challenge.
TikTok has pushed back against the allegations by explaining that the trend does not fall on the shoulders of the app. Instead, TikTok shared in a statement, “This disturbing ‘challenge,’ which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok, long predates our platform and has never been a TikTok trend.” The statement referenced a federal report that detailed the deaths of individuals who participated in choking games between 1995 and 2007. The statement goes on to explain, “We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and would immediately remove related content if found. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family for their tragic loss.”
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