French Families Sue TikTok over Alleged Failure to Remove Harmful Content

A TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken January 6, 2020. (Reuters)
A TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken January 6, 2020. (Reuters)
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French Families Sue TikTok over Alleged Failure to Remove Harmful Content

A TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken January 6, 2020. (Reuters)
A TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken January 6, 2020. (Reuters)

Seven French families have filed a lawsuit against social media giant TikTok, accusing the platform of exposing their adolescent children to harmful content that led to two of them taking their own lives at 15, their lawyer said on Monday.

The lawsuit alleges TikTok's algorithm exposed the seven teenagers to videos promoting suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, lawyer Laure Boutron-Marmion told broadcaster franceinfo.

The families are taking joint legal action in the Créteil judicial court. Boutron-Marmion said it was the first such grouped case in Europe.

"The parents want TikTok's legal liability to be recognized in court", she said, adding: "This is a commercial company offering a product to consumers who are, in addition, minors. They must, therefore, answer for the product's shortcomings."

TikTok, like other social media platforms, has long faced scrutiny over the policing of content on its app.

As with Meta's Facebook and Instagram, it faces hundreds of lawsuits in the US accusing them of enticing and addicting millions of children to their platforms, damaging their mental health.

TikTok could not immediately be reached for comment on the allegations.

The company has previously said it took issues that were linked to children's mental health seriously. CEO Shou Zi Chew this year told US lawmakers the company has invested in measures to protect young people who use the app.



Hyundai Motor America Is Recalling 42,465 US Vehicles

FILE - A line of 2022 Santa Fe SUV's sit outside a Hyundai dealership Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - A line of 2022 Santa Fe SUV's sit outside a Hyundai dealership Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
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Hyundai Motor America Is Recalling 42,465 US Vehicles

FILE - A line of 2022 Santa Fe SUV's sit outside a Hyundai dealership Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - A line of 2022 Santa Fe SUV's sit outside a Hyundai dealership Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor is recalling about 42,465 vehicles in the US due to improperly routed wiring that may increase the risk of a crash, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Saturday.
The recall includes certain 2025 Tucson and Santa Cruz vehicles, according to Reuters.
The US auto safety regulator said that a vehicle transmission that could move out of "Park" mode without the driver pressing the brake pedal could cause the vehicle to roll away, raising the risk of a crash.
On Friday, the automaker also recalled over 145,000 electric vehicles in the US due to a loss of drive power.