Parents Sue TikTok For Their Daughters’ Deaths Doing ‘Blackout Challenge’

The parents of two girls who said their children died after attempting the “blackout challenge” on TikTok are now suing the company. They claim the algorithm intentionally showed the children dangerous content that ultimately lead to their deaths.

The girls, 8 and 9, died last year after seeing the challenge that prompted users to choke themselves until they passed out, according to the lawsuit filed on Thursday in Superior Court in Los Angeles County.

The lawsuit claims TikTok should have known its product was “addictive,” and was directing harmful content to children. It also failed to take action to stop the videos or warn children and parents about them.

TikTok said the challenge “long predates” the app and was “never” trending on the platform. In the statement, TikTok referred to a “choking game” that led to “unintentional strangulation deaths” among children between 1995 and 2007.

“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,” TikTok said in a statement.

The “blackout challenge” is among the many dangerous trends that have been seen on the internet. Challenges like the “Tide Pod challenge” where users bit or swallowed Tide Pods, consumed large amounts of Benadryl or got out of moving vehicles to dance on the street have all led to multiple injuries and deaths.