French Lawmakers File Complaint Against TikTok for Exposing Youth to Toxic & Addictive Content

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The French parliamentary committee filed criminal charges against the popular Chinese platform TikTok. The committee demanded a complete social media ban for users under the age of 15, citing the harmful psychological impact the platform has on children's lives.

Arthur Delaporte, a socialist chairman of the parliamentary committee, informed that he would file a criminal charge against TikTok. This commission was launched after seven family members complained against the Chinese-owned platform because it had exposed their children to content that could push them towards suicide.


What are the Allegations Made Against TikTok?

The criminal complaint filed against TikTok alleges that TikTok committed perjury while speaking and submitting the documents to the committee. The platform is said to have denied knowledge about internal reports that could harm its users, especially those under the age of 15. In response to this perjury, Delaporte told AFP, "The platform knows what's going wrong and that their algorithm is problematic.”

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The committee members also witnessed the emotional outbreaks of parents who lost their children after consuming harmful content from TikTok. One mother mentioned finding self-destructive videos her daughter used to watch before committing suicide. These allegations are serious, and the French government is also looking into the matter.


The Testimony of TikTok

TikTok executives have immediately responded to the accusations by rejecting them as they “categorically reject the deceptive presentation," and stated that the platform uses AI-enhanced moderation. 

Additionally, the officials caught 98% of content infringing its terms of service in France. The executives also said that these efforts were seen as insufficient by the lawmakers and “very easy to circumvent.” According to the Reuters report, the TikTok executives said, “the company has become a scapegoat for broader industry and societal issues.”

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To summarize the whole case, the French parliamentary commission has demanded a ban on some of the major social media platforms, including TikTok, for children below the age of 15 years. 

However, they also said that the ban could be broadened for users under 18 years of age if the social media platforms did not respect the guidelines set by the European Union. The committee also proposed a “digital curfew,” which deems the social media platforms unavailable from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.