Families Sue TikTok in France After Teen Suicides

Stephanie Mistre discovered her 15-year-old daughter, Marie, deceased in her bedroom, having died by suicide.

That September day in 2021 marked the beginning of her battle against TikTok, the Chinese-owned video app she blames for driving her daughter to despair.

After her daughter died, Mistre delved into her phone and discovered videos advertising suicide methods, lessons, and comments encouraging users to go beyond basic suicide attempts.

She said TikTok’s algorithm had frequently sent such stuff to her daughter.

“Three years ago, I had no idea what kind of content social platforms were pushing towards my daughter,” she told the Associated Press, citing recurring themes such as physical violence, rape, and suicide.

Now Mistre and six other families are suing TikTok France, accusing the platform of failing to moderate harmful content and exposing children to life-threatening material.

Out of the seven families, two experienced the loss of a child.

Asked about the lawsuit, TikTok said its guidelines forbid any promotion of suicide and that it employs 40,000 trust and safety professionals worldwide — hundreds of which are French-speaking moderators — to remove dangerous posts.

The company also said it refers users who search for suicide-related videos to mental health services.

Before killing herself, Marie made several videos to explain her decision, citing various difficulties in her life, and quoted a song by the Louisiana-based emo rap group Suicideboys, who are popular on TikTok.

Her mother also claims that her daughter has been constantly bullied and harassed at school and online.

In addition to the lawsuit, Marie’s 51-year-old mother and husband have filed complaints against five of her classmates and her former high school.

But, most all, Mistre blames TikTok.

“I would have never given my blessing for this application,” she told me.

According to Grégoire Borst, a psychology and cognitive neuroscience professor at Paris-Cité University, scientists have yet to show a strong correlation between social media and mental health issues or psychological injury.

Borst stated that it was difficult to demonstrate cause and effect in this area, citing a major peer-reviewed study that discovered that social media use accounted for only 0.4% of the differences in teenagers’ well-being.

Furthermore, Borst stated that no current studies indicate that TikTok is any more dangerous than rival apps like Snapchat, X, Facebook, or Instagram.

While most teenagers use social media without incident, Borst believes the true hazards lie with individuals who are already dealing with issues such as bullying or familial instability.

The seven families’ lawsuit claims that TikTok’s algorithm is meant to trap vulnerable people in cycles of sadness for profit, and it wants compensation for the families.

A paper titled “Children and Screens,” commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron in April and contributed to by Borst, determined that some algorithmic features should be considered addictive and banned from all apps in France.

The research also advocated for social media access restrictions for French minors under the age of 15. Neither measure has been approved.

TikTok, which was about to be shut down in the United States until President Donald Trump lifted the ban, has also received international attention.

In the United States, parents have made similar legal measures.

One complaint filed in Los Angeles County accuses Meta and its platforms, Instagram and Facebook, as well as Snapchat and TikTok, of creating defective products that cause serious injury.

The lawsuit names three teenagers who died by suicide.

In a separate complaint, two tribal nations accuse major social media companies, including YouTube owner Alphabet, of contributing to high suicide rates among Native adolescents.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, apologized to parents who had lost children while speaking in the United States Senate last year.

In December, Australia passed a groundbreaking law prohibiting social media accounts for children under the age of sixteen.

When contacted by The Associated Press, TikTok stated that it had not been told of the French action, which was filed in November.

It could take months for the French legal system to process the case and for officials in Ireland to formally alert TikTok, which has its European headquarters there.

Instead, a Tiktok spokeswoman emphasized corporate policies prohibiting anything that promotes suicide or self-harm.

Critics say that TikTok’s claims of rigorous moderation are inadequate.

Mistre’s fight is profoundly personal.

Sitting in her daughter’s room, where the decor has remained undisturbed for the past three years, she stated that parents must be aware of the hazards of social media.

Source AFRICANEWS