According to reports, a Pennsylvania mother is Tik Tok after alleging that the "Blackout Challenge" led to the death of her 10-year-old daughter.
Tawainna Anderson filed the wrongful death lawsuit on Thursday, roughly five months after her daughter's untimely death. Anderson claims her daughter Nylah was encouraged to participate in the viral stunt that saw participants choking themselves until they passed out.
Anderson reportedly found Nylah unconscious in her bedroom on Dec. 7 and later died in the hospital on Dec. 12.
“The TikTok Defendants’ algorithm determined that the deadly Blackout Challenge was well-tailored and likely to be of interest to 10-year-old Nylah Anderson, and she died as a result,” the complaint alleges. “The TikTok Defendants’ app and algorithm are intentionally designed to maximize user engagement and dependence and powerfully encourage children to engage in a repetitive and dopamine-driven feedback loop by watching, sharing, and attempting viral challenges and other videos. TikTok is programming children for the sake of corporate profits and promoting addiction.”
“I want to hold this company accountable,” Anderson said. “It is time that these dangerous challenges come to an end, that other families don’t experience the heartbreak we live every day.”
“This disturbing ‘challenge,’ which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok, long predates our platform and has never been a TikTok trend,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. “We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and would immediately remove related content if found. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family for their tragic loss.”
Source: youtube.com
