TikTok sued by mother over ‘blackout challenge’ after 10-year-old child dies

A Pennsylvania mother is suing the popular social media platform TikTok following the death of her 10-year-old daughter, who’d purportedly tried a viral challenge on the app.

TikTok is home to a sweeping list of challenges and trends. It wasn’t so long ago that the app had everyone trying out recipes for baked feta pasta or even trying out viral weight loss ‘hacks.’

However, some of these challenges can be dangerous. TikTok notably removed all videos of the Milk Crate Challenge last year after doctors reported numerous injuries resulting from the precarious trend.

Now, another major challenge on the app is undergoing scrutiny… this time, due to the death of a 10-year-old child.

Mother sues TikTok after death of 10-year-old daughter

Tawainna Anderson is hitting TikTok with a lawsuit following the death of her 10-year-old daughter, Nylah, who passed away in December 2021 after purportedly attempting the ‘blackout challenge.’

The ‘blackout challenge’ dares participants to hold their breath for as long as they can before passing out.

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Anderson is accusing TikTok of having a ‘defective design,’ with the lawsuit claiming “the viral and deadly TikTok Blackout Challenge was thrust in front of Nylah on her TikTok For You Page (“FYP”) as a result of TikTok’s algorithm.”

“The TikTok Defendants’ 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,” it continues.

While TikTok has not commented on this latest lawsuit, it has made a statement on the trend in the past, following news of Nylah’s death last year.

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“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,” a spokesperson said.

“We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and would immediately remove related content if found. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family for their tragic loss.”