TikTok faces legal battle in France over teen suicides
What's the story
Seven families in France have sued TikTok, claiming the social media platform's inability to curb harmful content resulted in their teenage children's suicides.
The lawsuit claims TikTok repeatedly promoted content related to suicide methods and encouraged users to go beyond "mere suicide attempts."
Two out of the seven families have experienced the loss of a child. One of the parents involved in the lawsuit, Stephanie Mistre, found such videos on her 15-year-old daughter's phone after her tragic death by suicide.
Accusations
Mother accuses TikTok of 'brainwashing' her daughter
Mistre, who lives in Cassis near Marseille, accused TikTok's algorithm of constantly pushing harmful content to her daughter.
She called it "brainwashing," and slammed the platform for normalizing depression and self-harm.
Mistre said this created a warped sense of belonging among users.
The lawsuit claims TikTok's algorithm is designed to ensnare vulnerable users in cycles of despair for profit, and seeks reparations for families affected.
Company's stance
TikTok's response to the lawsuit
Responding to the lawsuit, TikTok said its guidelines strictly prohibit any promotion of suicide and has over 40,000 trust and safety professionals around the world, including hundreds of French-speaking moderators, to remove dangerous posts.
Those searching also said that for suicide-related videos are directed toward mental health services.
However, critics say these moderation efforts are not enough and don't really prevent the spread of harmful content.
Research insights
No clear link between social media and mental health issues
Gregoire Borst, a professor of psychology and cognitive neuroscience at Paris-Cite University, said there is no proven link between social media use and mental health problems or psychological harm.
He referred to a study showing only 0.4% of the differences in teenagers' well-being could be attributed to social media use.
Borst added that current research doesn't indicate TikTok is more harmful than other apps like Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram.
Upcoming proceedings
Legal action against TikTok's European Union subsidiary
Laure Boutron-Marmion, the lawyer of the seven families, anticipates TikTok will respond to the allegations in the coming weeks.
The authorities will then determine if and when a trial would occur.
Boutron-Marmion noted that although TikTok had not been officially notified about the French lawsuit filed in November, it could take months for the French justice system to process this complaint and for Irish authorities—where TikTok's European headquarters are located—to formally notify the company.