Seven French families have filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the platform of exposing their teenage children to harmful content that led two of them to take their own lives at age 15, their lawyer stated on Monday.
According to the suit, TikTok’s algorithm allegedly promoted content to the teens that encouraged self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders, lawyer Laure Boutron-Marmion told Franceinfo radio. The families brought the case to the Créteil judicial court, marking the first such collective legal action in Europe.
The parents seek legal accountability from TikTok, arguing that as a commercial entity providing a product to minors, TikTok must answer for the potential harms associated with its platform.
TikTok, like other social media platforms, has frequently been scrutinized for its content moderation practices. It faces numerous lawsuits in the United States, along with Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, for allegedly engaging millions of children in addictive, harmful content that affects mental health.
While TikTok has not commented on the current allegations, the company previously stated that it takes mental health issues seriously, with CEO Shou Zi Chew affirming to U.S. lawmakers that it has invested in safety measures for young users.
