French families sue TikTok over alleged failure to remove harmful content

PARIS: Seven French families have filed a lawsuit against social media giant TikTok, accusing the platform of exposing their adolescent children to harmful content that led to two of them taking their own lives at 15, their lawyer said on Monday.

The lawsuit alleges TikTok’s algorithm exposed the seven teenagers to videos promoting suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, lawyer Laure Boutron-Marmion told broadcaster franceinfo.

The families are taking joint legal action in the Créteil judicial court. Boutron-Marmion said it was the first such grouped case in Europe. “The parents want TikTok’s legal liability to be recognised in court”, she said, adding: “This is a commercial company offering a product to consumers who are, in addition, minors. They must, therefore, answer for the product’s shortcomings.”

TikTok, like other social media platforms, has long faced scrutiny over the policing of content on its app. As with Meta’s META.O Facebook and Instagram, it faces hundreds of lawsuits in the US accusing them of enticing and addicting millions of children to their platforms. The company has previously said it took issues that were linked to children’s mental health seriously. CEO Shou Zi Chew this year told US lawmakers the company has invested in measures to protect young people who use the app.