TikTok found not liable for child dying in ‘Blackout Challenge’

TikTok isn’t liable for the death of a 10-year-old girl who watched a so-called ‘Blackout Challenge’ video that encouraged people to choke themselves, a judge ruled.

US District Judge Paul Diamond in Philadelphia said a federal law shielded the video-sharing platform from liability in the death of Nylah Anderson, even if the company’s app recommended the video to her.

The ‘Blackout Challenge’ encourages viewers to videotape themselves choking to the point of passing out. Versions of the challenge have been posted on various platforms and have been blamed for the deaths of multiple children. Other wrongful death lawsuits against TikTok over the challenge are pending in federal courts in Oakland and Los Angeles.