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Rabat — The Supreme Court in Venezuela fined TikTok $10 million for “not implementing measures” to moderate challenges videos on their platform that have led to the death of three children after taking chemical substances.
Judge Tania D’Amelio says the popular short video app was negligent after it failed to put in place “necessary and adequate measures” to control viral videos promoting challenges.
TikTok has eight days to pay the fine that would go into creating “a TikTok victims fund,” the court ruled. It has also ordered the company to open an office in Venezuela to oversee content and make sure they adhere to local laws.
President Nicolas Maduro blames Tiktok for the death of a 12-year-old after she took part in a challenge which involved taking tranquillizer pills to avoid falling asleep. He threatened to take “severe measures” against the company if it did not curb these “criminal challenges.”
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Hector Rodriguez, Venezuela’s Education Minister, said last month that a 14-year-old had died after he joined a TikTok challenge that involved sniffing substances.
TikTok is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance and has grown in popularity partly due to challenges. However, the app has faced criticism for putting users at risk by allowing the spread of dangerous challenge videos.
Official guidelines of the video-sharing platform prohibit content that promotes self-harm or suicide.
In recent years, Venezuela has blocked dozens of websites and mobile applications for not complying with its telecommunications commission.
In August, Maduro banned the social media platform X as thousands of Venezuelans accused its owner Elon Musk of using the social media platform to “orchestrate attacks against Venezuela.”
