<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jul/05/tiktok-girls-dead-blackout-challenge>
Parents of two girls who died in a 2021 “blackout challenge” on TikTok, which
encouraged users to choke themselves until they passed out, filed a suit on
Tuesday in the Los Angeles county superior court.
Represented by the Social Media Victims Law Center (SMVLC), a legal resource
for parents of children harmed by social media addiction and abuse, they allege
the platform’s “dangerous algorithm intentionally and repeatedly” pushed videos
of the challenge into the children’s feeds, incentivizing them to participate
in the challenge that ultimately took their lives.
“TikTok needs to be held accountable for pushing deadly content to these two
young girls,” said Matthew P Bergman, founding attorney of SMVLC. “TikTok has
invested billions of dollars to intentionally design products that push
dangerous content that it knows is dangerous and can result in the deaths of
its users.”
One victim, eight-year-old Lalani Erika Renee Walton of Temple, Texas, is
described as “an extremely sweet and outgoing young girl” who “loved dressing
up as a princess and playing with makeup”. She died on 15 July 2021 in what
police determined was “a direct result of attempting TikTok’s ‘Blackout
Challenge’”, according to the complaint.
Lalani had received a phone for her eighth birthday in April 2021 and “quickly
became addicted to watching TikTok videos”, the complaint said. She often
posted videos of herself singing and dancing, in hopes of becoming “TikTok
famous”.
In July 2021, her family began noticing bruising on Lalani’s neck, which she
explained away as an accident. Unbeknown to them, she had begun participating
in the blackout challenge, which had first showed up on her feed weeks before.
On the day of her death, Lalani had spent hours on a family road trip watching
videos, including posts of the challenge.
“She was also under the belief that if she posted a video of herself doing the
Blackout Challenge, then she would become famous and so she decided to give it
a try,” the complaint said. “Lalani was eight years old at the time and did not
appreciate or understand the dangerous nature of what TikTok was encouraging
her to do.”
The other victim named in the suit, nine-year-old Arriani Jaileen Arroyo of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received a phone when she was seven years old and used
TikTok multiple times a day, according to the complaint. She “gradually became
obsessive” about posting dance videos on TikTok and became “addicted” to the
app.
In January 2021, Arriani’s family discussed with her an incident of a young
TikTok user dying as the result of a challenge, but the Arriani assured them
she would never participate in dangerous videos.
Close up of face of Arriani Jaileen Arroyo
Arriani Jaileen Arroyo. Photograph: Courtesy of the family
However, on 26 February 2021 she was found not breathing by her five-year-old
brother. She was rushed to a local hospital but ultimately taken off life
support.
“TikTok unquestionably knew that the deadly Blackout Challenge was spreading
through their app and that their algorithm was specifically feeding the
Blackout Challenge to children, including those who have died,” the complaint
reads.
The lawsuit lists a number of complaints against TikTok, including that its
algorithm promotes harmful content, allows underage users on the app, and it
fails to warn users or their legal guardians of the app’s addictive nature.
TikTok did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The company has been criticized in the past for allowing dangerous challenges
to spread. Doctors reported that the 2021 “milk crate challenge”, which
encouraged users to stack and climb milk crates, led to dislocated shoulders,
ACL tears and even spinal cord injuries. In 2020, a 15-year-old girl died after
participating in the “Benadryl challenge”, in which users took a large amount
of anti-histamines in an attempt to produce hallucinogenic effects. In 2020,
two minors were charged with assault after participating in the “skull breaker”
challenge, which caused one victim to have a seizure.
Attorneys for the SMVLC claimed the company knowingly allowed such content to
proliferate on the platform because it increased engagement, user numbers and
ultimately profit.
“TikTok prioritized greater corporate profits over the health and safety of its
users and, specifically, over the health and safety of vulnerable children
TikTok knew or should have known were actively using its social media product,”
they said.
The Walton and Arroyo families are seeking an unspecified amount in damages and
have requested a jury trial to take place in California.
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