In the moment when her world shattered three years ago, Stephanie Mistre found her year-old daughter, Marie, lifeless in the bedroom where she died by suicide.
Now Mistre and six other families are suing TikTok France, accusing the platform of failing to moderate harmful content and exposing children to life-threatening material. Asked about the lawsuit, TikTok said its guidelines forbid any promotion of suicide and that it employs 40, trust and safety professionals worldwide β hundreds of which are French-speaking moderators β to remove dangerous posts.
The company also said it refers users who search for suicide-related videos to mental health services. Before killing herself, Marie Le Tiec made several videos to explain her decision, citing various difficulties in her life, and quoted a song by the Louisiana-based emo rap group Suicideboys, who are popular on TikTok.
Her mother also claims that her daughter was repeatedly bullied and harassed at school and online. Additionally, Borst pointed out that no current studies suggest TikTok is any more harmful than rival apps such as Snapchat, X, Facebook or Instagram.
While most teens use social media without significant harm, the real risks, Borst said, lie with those already facing challenges such as bullying or family instability. TikTok, which faced being shut down in the US until President Donald Trump suspended a ban on it, has also come under scrutiny globally. The US has seen similar legal efforts by parents. One lawsuit in Los Angeles County accuses Meta and its platforms Instagram and Facebook, as well as Snapchat and TikTok, of designing defective products that cause serious injuries.
