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Seven French families have filed a lawsuit against social media giant TikTok, accusing the platform of exposing their adolescent children to harmful content, leading two of them to commit suicide at the age of 15, their lawyer said Monday.
The lawsuit alleges TikTok’s algorithm exposed the seven teens 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 court. Boutron-Marmion said this was the first such clustered case in Europe.
“The parents want TikTok’s legal liability to be recognized by the court,” she said, adding: “This is a commercial company that offers a product to consumers who are also minors. They must therefore be held accountable for the product’s shortcomings.”
TikTok, like other social media platforms, has long faced criticism over the policing of its app’s content.
Like Meta (META) with Facebook and Instagram, it is facing hundreds of lawsuits in the United States accusing the companies of enticing and addicting millions of children to their platforms, harming their mental health.
TikTok could not immediately be reached for comment on the allegations.
The company has previously said it takes issues related to children’s mental health seriously. CEO Shou Zi Chew told US lawmakers this year that the company has invested in measures to protect young people who use the app.
