Family In France Sues TikTok For Alleged Negligence In Removing Hazardous Content

Laure Boutron-Marmion, a lawyer for seven families in France who sued TikTok (photo: @David_DiGiacomo),

JAKARTA - Seven families in France filed a lawsuit against social media company TikTok. They accused the platform of explaining their teenage children to harmful content that led to two suicide cases of a 15-year-old teenager.

The lawsuit, which was brought to court in Creteil, claims that the TikTok algorithm deliberately featured videos promoting suicide, self-injury, and eating disorders to the teens. This was conveyed by family lawyer Laure Boutron-Marmion, to the franceinfo broadcaster.

This lawsuit is the first case of its kind in Europe, where parents demand TikTok's legal responsibility for content security, especially for underage users.

"Parents want courts to recognize TikTok's legal responsibility," Boutron-Marmion said, quoted by VOI from Reuters. "This is a commercial company offering products to consumers who are also minors. They must be responsible for their product shortages."

TikTok itself, like other social media platforms, has long been under scrutiny over its content surveillance policies. The platform faces hundreds of lawsuits in the United States, similar to Meta's Facebook and Instagram, on charges that the platform is provoking and making children addicted, damaging their mental health.

TikTok has not commented on the allegations. However, the company previously stated that it was serious about dealing with issues related to children's mental health.

Earlier this year, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told US lawmakers that the company had invested various steps to protect young users of the app.