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Two grieving families are suing TikTok over claims their young daughters accidentally hanged themselves while attempting a ‘Blackout Challenge’ they say was popularized by the app’s algorithm.
Lalani Erika Walton, 8, from Tennessee died in July 2021, while Arriani Jaileen Arroyo, 9, died in Milwaukee in February last year after hanging themselves at home.
Their families insist neither girl was suicidal, and that they’d actually been attempting the ‘Blackout Challenge,’ which encouraged users of the video sharing app to choke themselves until they passed out on camera.
The lawsuit claims TikTok’s algorithm repeatedly pushed Blackout Challenge videos to appear on the girls ‘for you’ page. That is the homepage of the app where users are shown random videos they might like, based on what they’ve previously watched.
The wrongful death lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday.
Lalani Erika Walton, 8, from Tennessee died after trying to choke herself for a TikTok challenge
Walton was found in her bedroom ‘hanging from her bed with a rope around her neck
Arriani Jaileen Arroyo, 9, from Milwaukee, died doing the complete the Blackout Challenge
Arroyo, from Milwaukee, was found ‘hanging from the family dog’s leash’ in the basement of the family home
Walton was found in her bedroom ‘hanging from her bed with a rope around her neck.’
When police looked at her phone and tablet, they found she had been watching been watching blackout challenge videos ‘on repeat,’ according to the suit.
Arroyo, from Milwaukee, was also found ‘hanging from the family dog’s leash’ in the basement of the family home.
She was rushed to hospital and placed onto a ventilator but was found to be brain dead and had to be taken off life support.
Nylah Anderson, 10, an ‘active’ and ‘incredibly intelligent’ girl choked herself with a purse trap for a TikTok challenge, according to a lawsuit filed by her mother
Last year, another girl, Nylah Anderson of Philadelphia was found unconscious in her mom’s bedroom closet.
Similar to the other two girls, she hung herself from a purse strap after seeing videos related to the ‘blackout challenge’ on the app’s ‘For You’ page.
Nylah’s mother Tawainna said the company is to blame for her death because the content ‘was thrust in front of’ her.
‘Nylah endured hellacious suffering as she struggled and fought for breath and slowly asphyxiated until near the point of death,’ the lawsuit states.
Tawainna found her daughter and tried multiple rounds of CPR on her until paramedics arrived.
Nylah Anderson, 10, was found unconscious in her mom’s bedroom closet in December 2021
Nylah spent five days in the pediatric ICU and died on December 12, 2021.
Her family’s lawsuit, which asks for unspecified damages, holds TikTok accountable for designing an app that promotes dangerous challenges to children.
The company says its main app is intended for people 13 years or older, though it also operates a version of the app designed for younger users.
In a statement before either of the lawsuit were filed, the Chinese-owned company said: ‘This disturbing ‘challenge,’ which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok long predates our platform, and has never been a TikTok trend.
‘We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and would immediately remove related content if found.’
The company has blocked the hashtag #BlackoutChallenge from its search engine.
But Nylah’s mother says the company intentionally designs its app to keep its young users’ attention at any costs.
The ‘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,’ the lawsuit states.
The Blackout Challenge was previously spread by word-of-mouth. However, online platforms have made information about the game more accessible and have led to more children trying it alone instead of with friends.
‘TikTok unquestionably knew that the deadly Blackout Challenge was spreading through their app and that their algorithm was specifically feeding the Blackout Challenge to children,’ the Social Media Victims Law Center’s complaint claims.
‘The company knew or should have known that failing to take immediate and significant action to extinguish the spread of the deadly Blackout Challenge would result in more injuries and deaths, especially among children,’ the complaint reads.
There have been a number of disturbing challenges on social media in recent years.
In 2018, poison control officials warned parents about the Tide Pod Challenge, which encouraged youths to eat laundry detergent packets on camera and post it on social media
In 2018, poison control officials warned parents about the Tide Pod Challenge, which encouraged youths to eat laundry detergent packets on camera and post it on social media.
At least 10 deaths were connected to the challenge.
The Salt and Ice Challenge gained popularity in 2019. It encouraged social media users to put ice on their exposed skin and then apply ice, holding it there for as long as they could tolerate.
The challenge left participants with second and third-degree burns. Some even required skin grafts to repair the damage.
In 2020, fire marshals warned parents about the Outlet Challenge and Fire Challenge, both of which gained popularity on TikTok.
The Outlet Challenge encouraged social media users to partially insert a plug into an outlet and then slide a penny down the wall onto the exposed prongs. This result in sparks, electrical system damage and, in some cases, a fire.
Despite its recent resurgence on TikTok, the Blackout Challenge – also known as ‘the fainting game’, ‘the game of choking’ or ‘speed dreaming’ – predates social media. However, online platforms have made information about the game more accessible and have led to more children trying it alone instead of with friends
The Fire Challenge, which was gaining traction on social media around the same time, involved people recording themselves as they poured flammable liquid on their skin, before setting it ablaze.
How to report the Blackout Challenge on TikTok
If you see anybody promoting the Blackout Challenge on TikTok or any other social media platforms, please report the content immediately.
To report the Blackout Challenge on TikTok:
Click on the white arrow on the right-hand side of the video.
Press the icon that says ‘report’ with a flag symbol.
Select ‘suicide, self-harm and dangerous acts’.
If anybody contacts you telling you to take part in the challenge, please do not reply and report the account immediately.
Call the toll-free 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255); TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)
Also known as ‘the fainting game’, ‘the game of choking’ or ‘speed dreaming’, the trend challenges users to choke themselves until they pass out for a few seconds
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