French Families Take TikTok to Court Over Alleged Harm to Young People’s Health
PARIS — In a bold move, seven French families have decided to take TikTok to court, pointing fingers at the social network for causing “direct damage” to the health of young individuals. Shockingly, two 15-year-olds from these families tragically took their own lives, sparking outrage and legal action.
Laure Boutron-Marmion, the lawyer representing the Algos Victima collective of families, wasted no time in filing a lawsuit before a judge. “I’m leveraging the essential principles of French civil liability,” she boldly declared to Euronews Next, emphasizing the need for accountability when harm is caused.
According to Boutron-Marmion, the combination of TikTok’s “addictive” design and lack of content moderation is a recipe for disaster. “Virality mixes with harmful content,” she warned, painting a grim picture of the platform’s impact on vulnerable young minds.
TikTok, on the other hand, defended itself by highlighting the ‘Family Connection’ mode introduced in 2020 and the presence of over 630 French-speaking moderators. The platform also claimed to redirect users searching for sensitive topics like suicide to dedicated resources and helplines.
One grieving mother, Stéphanie Mistre, blamed TikTok for her daughter’s tragic end, accusing the app of playing a role in her death. Mistre’s complaint for ‘incitement to suicide’ is currently under investigation, shedding light on the serious consequences of online content on impressionable young minds.
Boutron-Marmion did not hold back in calling out TikTok’s practices, pointing to the stricter safeguards in place for minors on the Chinese version of the app, Douyin. “TikTok will have to respond with arguments in court, and it’s up to the judges to settle this matter,” she asserted.
Interestingly, TikTok is not alone in facing legal scrutiny. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, has also come under fire for the potential harm their platforms pose to young users. The battle for accountability in the tech world rages on. — Euronews
