Italy has ordered Chinese company TikTok to ensure that young children do not use its application after the death of a 10-year-old girl who accidentally committed suicide in a “Blackout Challenge”.
Children under the age of 13 should not use TikTok. But the Italian state regulator wants the app to block unconfirmed user accounts by February 15, noting that it was easy for children under 13 to avoid the rules for registering the app, according to reports.
The unidentified girl from Palermo, Sicily, was declared dead in the brain last week, after trying to participate in the so-called “Blackout Challenge”, which dares the participants to suffocate until they disappear for a few seconds. The child tied a belt around his neck and accidentally suffocated, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the death, which shocked Italy and seeks to see if anyone invited the girl to take part in the challenge.
“Privacy and security are top priorities for TikTok and we are constantly working to strengthen our policies, processes and technologies to protect our communities and younger users in particular,” a TikTok spokeswoman in Italy told Reuters.