The popular online video sharing application TikTok faces a lawsuit, following the death of two girls. These were indeed trying out a game called Blackout Challenge, which consists in choking oneself until reaching fainting, in front of the camera. The two deceased daughters are Arriani Jaileen Arroyo et Lalani Erika Renee Walton 9 and 8 years old respectively. It must be said that the latter have tried in vain to gain popularity on the social network before turning to this challenge.
Arriani said he did not want to participate in the challenge
This had initially raised concerns among their parents. According to their explanations, “Lalani was 8 at the time and didn’t understand the dangerous nature of what TikTok was encouraging her to do”. Unlike Lalani, Arriani had said he did not want to participate in the challenge. In their lawsuit, the two families blamed TikTok for setting up a “dangerous algorithm (which) has intentionally and repeatedly” showed videos like this to the two girls. Note that this is not the first time that the Blackout Challenge has claimed victims in the United States.
During the year 2021, a 12-year-old child was brain dead following participating in this challenge. The facts had taken place in the State of Colorado west of the United States. According to media reports, the 12-year-old was found unconscious by his twin brother. He would have tried a few minutes earlier to participate in this challenge also called “fainting game”, “the game of choking” or “dream of speed” appeared on social media a few months earlier.
