TikTok has to face a lawsuit from the mother of 10-year-old Nylah Anderson, who “unintentionally hanged herself” after watching videos of the so-called blackout challenge on her algorithmically curated For You Page (FYP). The “challenge,” according to the suit, encouraged viewers to “choke themselves until passing out.”
TikTok’s algorithmic recommendations on the FYP constitute the platform’s own speech, according to the Third Circuit court of appeals. That means it’s something TikTok can be held accountable for in court. Tech platforms are typically protected by a legal shield known as Section 230, which prevents them from being sued over their users’ posts, and a lower court had initially dismissed the suit on those grounds.
That’s a universal truth about parenting though and not limited to just social media.
Right, but i was commenting about educating your kids about the pitfalls of social media, like you said. My adult children are teachers and they see social media is destroying kids even with education about it…their brains can’t stop even if they know the consequences, especially because it is psychologically tailored to engage them more and more