TikTok, one of the most popular networks among adolescents and young people, aims to “make money from the insecurities of adolescents,” warned a report published by Amnesty International (AI), in the midst of the debate in France about the ban of this network.
The report ‘Entraîné-es dans le Rabbit Hole’ (‘locked in the rabbit hole’) urges the French Government and the European Commission (EC) to adopt “urgent measures to finally make TikTok a safe network for young people in the EU and throughout the world”, modifying, for example, the algorithm that, according to AI, leads to the display of content that incites self-mutilation or suicide.
“TikTok creates a mental prison for our young people, it manipulates their brains, because its goal is to make money and take advantage of young people’s insecurities to get the maximum benefit,” said Stéphanie Mistre, whose daughter committed suicide at the age of 15 in 2021 after getting hooked on the social network.
Today, one of the best-known faces in France in the fight against the toxicity of networks in adolescents and invited to the presentation of the report, Mistre recounted how her daughter’s mental health degraded as she was exposed to videos “personalized” by the algorithm.
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“Marie was a personality full of joy, she liked to sing and dance, but the bullying she suffered (due to her overweight) plus the algorithm, together with her hypersensitivity and empathy, ended up plunging her even deeper into despair and she saw that the only solution was to end her life,” he said.
Mistre, who is a member of the group Algos victime, which represents seven French families who have sued TikTok in court, condemned the social network’s business model that “makes money the more time young people spend online.”
Marie’s mother wondered why in Europe they have not done as in China, which a few years ago changed the algorithm to promote positive content, instead of those that praise depression or encourage suicidal tendencies.
“Why didn’t the algorithm show my daughter videos about sports or a diet? Because what matters to them is that our children spend more time on the Internet. All to earn more money,” he denounced.
The AI report appears a month after an investigative commission of the French National Assembly recommended banning social media for those under 15 years of age, especially TikTok, and decreeing a “digital curfew” for young people between 15 and 18 years old.
Katia Roux intervened on behalf of Amnesty International, explaining that a complaint is underway against TikTok for having violated several articles of the European law that regulates the internet (the Digital Service Act that came into force in 2024), including article 28 on the protection of minors.
In that sense, Roux explained that the fight against the social network must be carried out both at the national level with Arcom (the French media and internet supervisory authority), but, above all, at the European level, since the EC is competent to investigate and sanction or even suspend the service if there is a recurrence.
With information from EFE
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