TikTok is facing continuous criticism over the dangerous Blackout Challenge. Here’s all you need to know about the viral trend.
What is the Tik Tok Blackout Challenge?
The Blackout challenge is one of the many controversial and dangerous challenges that are taking social media by storm. In this “challenge”, individuals are encouraged to choke themselves till they become unconscious. It first started making rounds on the social media platform in 2021. However, it has been around since 2008. Back then, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning for people choking or strangulating themselves “to obtain a brief euphoric state or high”. As per a Bloomberg report, a minimum of 15 deaths of children below the age of 12 have been linked to the challenge in November 2022. As accidents and deaths related to the blackout challenges are rising, several lawsuits are appearing against TikTok.
More on the lawsuits against TikTok
Parents of children who died after participating in the blackout challenge are filing lawsuits against TikTok. They allege that the app’s algorithm is promoting harmful and dangerous content and allowing underage users. Additionally, they also claim the app is not warning users or guardians of the app’s addictive nature.
A lawsuit by Tawainna Anderson, the mother of Nylah, specifically challenges the “For You” page on the app. 10-year-old Nylah died earlier this year. However, the October ruling of the case shields the platform and throws a question to other similar lawsuits.
“The defendants did not create the Challenge; rather, they made it readily available on their site. The defendant’s algorithm was a way to bring the Challenge to the attention of those likely to be most interested in it. In thus promoting the work of others, Defendants published that work — exactly the activity Section 230 shields from liability,” states the ruling. However, the court stated that if Tiktok had to be liable for all death associated with the Blackout Challenge, laws and regulations are required. “The wisdom of conferring such immunity is something properly taken up with Congress, not the courts,” noted the judge.
Challenges for lawmakers and parents
So far, TikTok has been successful in evading criminal or civic liability concerning the dangers of content. But, there is a major challenge for underage users. While the minimum age for using TikTok is 13 years, internal data reveals about one-third of users are underage. “Platforms don’t seriously enforce age restrictions because it’s not in their best interests to do so. These companies don’t see their users as customers to be served, they see them as a product they are selling,” stated Michael Rich. Dr. Rich is the director of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and a pediatrician.