Italian prosecutors have opened a probe into the accidental death of a 10-year-old girl who allegedly took aspect in a “blackout challenge” on the video-sharing network TikTok.
The girl died in a Palermo hospital right after getting found Wednesday by her 5-year-old sister in her family members bathroom with her cellphone, which was seized by police.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese corporation ByteDance, mentioned Friday it had not managed to determine any content on its internet site that could have encouraged the girl to participate in any such challenge, but was assisting the authorities in the probe more than feasible “incitement to suicide”.
“The safety of the TikTok community is our absolute priority, for this motive we do not allow any content that encourages, promotes or glorifies behaviour that could be dangerous,” a TikTok spokesman mentioned.
Medical professionals have warned about the danger of the challenge getting taken up by some young persons, who refer to it as “scarfing” or “the choking game” in which restricted oxygen to the brain outcomes in a higher.
The girls’ parents told La Repubblica newspaper that a further daughter explained that her sister “was playing the blackout game”.
“We didn’t know anything,” the girl’s father told the paper.
“We didn’t know she was participating in this game. We knew that (our daughter) went on TikTok for dances, to look at videos. How could I imagine this atrocity?” he mentioned.
Italy’s information protection agency filed a lawsuit against TikTok in December, alleging a “lack of attention to the protection of minors” and criticising the ease with which pretty young youngsters could sign up to the video app.
TikTok, which went international in 2018, has constructed its speedy achievement on its parodies, messages and brief dance or comedy video performances set against well-liked music — along with an algorithm that determines which content is most most likely to interest every single user.
The death of the girl provoked robust reactions in Italy and calls for far better regulation of social networks.
“Social networks can’t become a jungle where anything is allowed,” mentioned Licia Ronzulli, president of Italy’s parliamentary commission on youngster protection.
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