TikTok has said that data from the accounts of four British children, who allegedly died after attempting the dangerous “blackout challenge,” may no longer be available.
The parents of the victims, aged 12 to 14, have sued TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, in the U.S., demanding access to their children’s accounts to find out what happened.
Parents Struggle to Get Answers
The families believe their children died after attempting a challenge they saw on TikTok. They have been trying to access their kids’ data, but TikTok has refused, citing legal restrictions.
Ellen Roome, the mother of a 14-year-old victim, told reporters she was shocked to learn she had no right to her son’s data without a court order.
She described the process as “horrendously difficult” and is now campaigning for a law that would grant parents access to their deceased children’s social media accounts.
TikTok Defends Data Deletion
Giles Dennington, a senior executive at TikTok, told BBC Radio 5 Live that the platform removes certain data under data protection laws, making it unavailable for retrieval.
“This is really complicated because we are required by law to delete some data quickly,” Dennington said. “It’s not that we have something and refuse to share it. It may no longer exist.”
TikTok has reportedly spoken with some of the affected parents to offer support, but the families insist they need access to their children’s accounts for closure.
TikTok Denies Challenge Was Trending
The lawsuit accuses TikTok of promoting dangerous challenges to boost user engagement. However, TikTok claims it has strict policies against harmful content and that 99% of such videos are removed before they are reported.
Dennington also denied that the “blackout challenge” was ever a major trend on the platform.
“We have never found evidence that this challenge was trending on TikTok,” he said. “Since 2020, we have banned even the ability to search for ‘blackout challenge’ or similar terms to prevent exposure to such content.”
Legal Battle Continues
As the lawsuit moves forward, parents remain determined to hold TikTok accountable. While TikTok insists it takes safety seriously, families believe more should be done to protect children from dangerous content.
The case could set a legal precedent for how social media platforms handle data requests from grieving families.
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