What is 'blackout challenge' and why is TikTok being sued for it?

Updated : May 13, 2022 15:36
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Editorji News Desk

 TikTok is being sued by the parents of a girl who participated in an online 'blackout challenge' which resulted in her death.  

The challenge asked people to choke themselves until they black out.  

Nylah Anderson, the victim of the challenge, was found unconscious in her bedroom in suburban Philadelphia on December 7, 2021. She was admitted to intensive care and died five days later.  

The Anderson family has sued the social media platform of marketing a 'defective product' and 'negligence'. They say that the dangerous dare was thrust in front of the unsuspecting child on her 'for you' page. 

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The complaint says that the 'algorithm determined that the deadly blackout challenge was well-tailored and likely to be of interest to Nylah Anderson'.  

TikTok in a statement issued a after Anderson's death said that 'this disturbing challenge which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok, long predates our platform'.  
According to reports, at least four children have died as a result of the challenge. 

DeathTikTokchildren wellbeing

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