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tiktok tuesday: parents of young girls who died trying the 'blackout challenge' suing tiktok

the lawsuit claims tiktok knew of the harmful effects of the 'blackout challenge,' but says the company did not effectively correct the algorithm or warn parents.

by emma jones
published jul 19, 2022
last updated feb 16, 2023
read time 3 minute read
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read time 3 minute read
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parents of young girls who died trying the 'blackout challenge' suing tiktok
parents are advised to speak to their children about online challenges, encouraging them to be critical of each challenge before deciding to attempt it themselves. getty
the parents of two young girls who tragically died after attempting the ‘blackout challenge’ are suing tiktok and its parent company, bytedance. the wrongful death lawsuit was filed in los angeles county superior court on july 5th. christina arlington smith, mother of lalani erika walton, who died on july 15, 2021, and heriberto and christal arroyo, parents of arriani jaileen arroyo, who died on feb. 26, 2021, are named as plaintiffs in the suit on behalf of their daughters.
the lawsuit claims tiktok uses individualized user data and demographic information to direct content to the users who will be most likely to watch and engage — even though a large number of children under the age of 13 use the platform without parental permission. the lawsuit further claims that tiktok knew of the harmful effects of the ‘blackout challenge’ after the death of antonella secomero, 10, on jan. 21, 2021, but says the company did not effectively correct the algorithm or warn parents of the challenge, which contributed to the deaths of several more children — including walton and arroyo.
“tiktok needs to be held accountable for pushing deadly content to these two young girls,” matthew p. bergman, founding attorney of the social media victims law center, said in a news release. “tiktok has invested billions of dollars to intentionally design products that push dangerous content that it knows are dangerous and can result in the deaths of its users.”

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lawsuit claims the two young girls were introduced to the “blackout challenge” via the tiktok platform

both young girls were described as active and outgoing, loving to sing and dance.
according to the suit, lalani erika renee walton, 8, was an avid tiktoker, posting videos of herself dancing and responding to challenges on the platform. she was found by her mother in her room. police determined she had died from asphyxiation after attempting the ‘blackout challenge’ — videos found on her phone and tablet indicate she had been watching videos of the challenge “on repeat.”
arriani jaileen arroyo, 9, also liked participating in tiktok challenges, but because they mostly pertained to dancing and eating arroyo’s parents did not think they were dangerous. her father found her when her younger brother edwardo told him she was not moving. she was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support, but the doctors determined she had lost brain activity. she was removed from life support a few days later.

the platform previously claimed ‘blackout challenge’ was “never a tiktok trend”

tiktok has not publicly released a statement regarding this lawsuit, however, they did release a statement regarding the challenge to people at the end of 2021, after the death of nyla anderson, 10.
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“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 said. “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.”
the statement includes a link to a federal report about a “choking game,” resulting in the accidental strangulation of multiple children between 1995 to 2007.
tiktok has developed a safety centre and released guidelines for those using the app on how to identify if a challenge is dangerous.
parents are advised to speak to their children about online challenges, encouraging them to be critical of each challenge before deciding to attempt it themselves. currently, searching for the ‘blackout challenge’ on the platform leads to a screen titled “your safety matters,” with a link to resources.
 
emma jones is a multimedia editor with healthing. you can reach her at emjones@postmedia.com or on instagram and twitter @jonesyjourn.
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