Venezuela’s highest court today fined TikTok $10 million in connection with viral challenges that authorities say left three adolescents de.ad from intoxication by chemical substances
Supreme Tribunal of Justice Judge Tania D’Amelio said that the popular video-sharing app had been negligent in failing to implement “necessary and adequate measures” to stop the spread of content encouraging the challenges.
TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, was ordered to open an office in the South American country and given eight days to pay the fine or face “appropriate” measures.
Venezuela would use the money to “create a TikTok victims fund, intended to compensate for the psychological, emotional and physical damages to users, especially if these users are children and adolescents,” D’Amelio said.
The company told the court that it “understands the seriousness of the matter,” she said.
According to Venezuelan authorities, three adolescents di.ed and 200 were intoxicated in schools across the country after ingesting chemical substances as part of social media “challenges.”
TikTok’s huge global success has been partly built on the success of its challenges — a call that invites users to create videos featuring dances, jokes or games that sometimes go viral.
TikTok’s official policy however prohibits videos promoting self-harm and su!cide.
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