AGCOM Forces TikTok To Delete A Dangerous "French Scar" Video In Italy

JAKARTA - Italy's communications authority, AGCOM, announced on Friday 16 February that it had forced the social media app TikTok to remove several videos showing youths engaging in dangerous practices known as "French scarf (French scar)".

The challenge of "French scarf" involves squeezing the cheeks to leave long-lasting bruises on the cheekbones. This became popular among young Italian users from the app last year, triggering an investigation by the Italian anti-monopoly authorities.

AGCOM stated that its decision was the first implementation of a new rule approved in December, allowing Italian watchdogs to order the removal of "dangerous content" on video-sharing platforms to protect minors and consumers.

"TikTok harus menghapus video-video yang diidentifikasi sebagai berbahaya dalam jangka waktu lima hari yang diatur oleh aturan tersebut," kata AGCOM.

"We have taken previous steps, including preventing content from being recommended to users," a TikTok spokesperson told Reuters. He added that the app blocked the geography of the videos in Italy as requested by AGCOM.

TikTok, which is owned by Chinese companies, ByteDance, and other social media companies including Meta Platforms, which is the parent of Facebook and Instagram, is under pressure from regulators around the world to protect children from harmful content on their platforms.

On Wednesday, February 14, New York Mayor Eric Adams said his administration had filed a lawsuit against social media companies including Facebook and Instagram for exacerbating the mental health crisis among young people.