TikTok is sued over deaths of two young girls in viral 'blackout challenge'

A number of other children, ranging in age from 10 to 14, have reportedly died under similar circumstances while attempting the blackout challenge. — Photo by Franck on Unsplash

LOS ANGELES: Eight-year-old Lalani Erika Walton wanted to become “TikTok famous.” Instead, she wound up dead.

Hers is one of two such tragedies that prompted a linked pair of wrongful death lawsuits filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the social media giant. The company’s app fed Lalani and Arriani Jaileen Arroyo, 9, videos associated with a viral trend called the blackout challenge in which participants attempt to choke themselves into unconsciousness, the cases allege; both of the young girls died after trying to join in.