TikTok’s community guidelines state users are not to share content that glorifies 'dangerous acts that may lead to serious injury or death'. — Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
Lalani Walton and Arriani Arroyo might have lived in two different states, but they were both active children who loved to dance, sing and post videos to TikTok.
Though that’s not all they had in common.
They both died participating in a deadly TikTok challenge, according to their parents in Texas and Wisconsin.
Their families have partnered with the Social Media Victims Law Center (SMVLC) to file a wrongful death lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, on June 30 in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.
The lawsuit alleges eight-year-old Lalani, of Temple, Texas, and nine-year-old Arriani, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, “died of self-strangulation while participating in TikTok’s ’Blackout Challenge,’ which encourages users to choke themselves with belts, purse strings or other similar items until passing out.”
Matthew P. Bergman, founding attorney of SMVLC, said in a statement that “TikTok needs to be held accountable for pushing deadly content to these two young girls.”
A TikTok spokesperson said the company’s “deepest sympathies go out to the family for their tragic loss.”
“This disturbing ‘challenge,’ which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok, long predates our platform and has never been a TikTok trend,” the spokesperson told McClatchy News. “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.”
‘Hopes of becoming TikTok famous’
Lalani got her first cellphone when she turned 8 on April 23, 2021, the lawsuit states. She “quickly became addicted to watching TikTok videos and posted many TikTok videos of herself singing and dancing, in the hopes of becoming TikTok famous.”
Sometime in July, the legal team argues, TikTok’s algorithm showed the 8-year-old girl the “TikTok Blackout Challenge.”
“On the afternoon of July 15, 2021, Lalani had just returned from a road trip with her stepmother, Ms Watson, during which she had been amusing herself by watching TikTok videos on her device,” according to SMVLC. “Lalani’s stepmother told Lalani to clean up her room while she rested from the long drive, after which they would go swimming. After Ms Watson awoke from a one-hour nap, she walked upstairs to Lalani’s room and was surprised to find the door closed.”
She walked in to find Lalani passed out, according to the lawsuit. An ambulance was called, but the child died of related injuries.
“After Lalani’s death, the police took Lalani’s phone and tablet and informed (her stepmother) that Lalani did not commit suicide,” the legal team said. “The police officer showed (her) videos of the Blackout Challenge and said that Lalani had been watching the video on repeat and had been attempting the challenge herself.”
‘Obsessed with participating in TikTok challenges’
After Arriani got her first phone at seven years old, “she gradually became obsessed with participating in TikTok challenges,” according to SMVLC.
“Because many of these TikTok challenges involved eating and dancing, Arriani’s parents did not regard them as dangerous,” the legal team said.
But on Feb 26, while Arriani’s mom was at a church event and her dad was in the basement, her five-year-old brother found her “not moving,” according to the lawsuit. She was rushed to the hospital and tests revealed she had “permanent, irreversible, and complete loss of brain function.”
Life support was pulled, SMVLC says, and they later learned she had been participating in the Blackout Challenge before her death.
‘Dangerous acts and challenges’
The lawsuit alleges TikTok is addictive and “pushes harmful content” to users, thus leading to the deaths of Lalani and Arriani.
TikTok’s community guidelines state users are not to share content that glorifies “dangerous acts that may lead to serious injury or death.”
“We define dangerous acts or other dangerous behavior as activities conducted in a non-professional context or without the necessary skills and safety precautions that may lead to serious injury or death for the user or the public,” the policy states. “This includes amateur stunts or dangerous challenges.”
Videos that violate this policy will be removed from the platform, according to TikTok.
In filing the lawsuit, the families seek a jury trial and damages to cover pain, suffering and other related expenses. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
