TikTok sued after US girl, 10, dies in ‘blackout challenge’

An American family is suing TikTok after their 10-year-old girl choked herself to death allegedly while participating in a viral challenge on the video-sharing platform last year.

Nylah Anderson was discovered unconcious in her bedroom in suburban Philadelphia in December 2021, according to a formal complaint filed in the federal court. She was reportedly attempting a viral “blackout challenge” and spent five days in an intensive care unit before succumbing to her injures.

Her mother Tawainna Anderson accused TikTok and its parent company ByteDance of negligence and having a “defective design”, alleging that her daughter attempted the challenge after seeing a TikTok video and died of asphyxiation.

She said the dangerous dare was “was thrust in front” of her TikTok feed by the algorithm that was tailored to the interests of a 10-year old.

“Algorithm determined that the deadly blackout challenge was well-tailored and likely to be of interest to 10-year-old Nylah Anderson and she died as a result,” she said in the complaint.

The “blackout challenge” encouraged users to choke themselves till they pass out and regain consciousness on camera. The challenge has allegedly led to similar deaths in the past.

The platform did not immediately repond to the lawsuit, but said in a prior statement in reponse to Anderson’s death: “This disturbing challenge, which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok, long predates our platform.”