The Minister of National Education, Edouard Geffray, announced Thursday that he has reported TikTok to the authorities for “incitement to suicide” and “illegal data transfer”, denouncing the “deadly spirals” in which the social network “entraps” its users. A criminal investigation is already underway into a potential promotion of suicide by the social network, initiated in November by the Paris prosecutor’s office following a report from a member of parliament highlighting the harmful influence of the platform’s algorithm on young people. In the report, “we have now added incitement to suicide, illegal data processing, and transfer of illicit data,” Mr. Geffray clarified on France Inter. On TikTok, a “certain number of videos trap young people in spirals,” with “abnormal but legal” content as well as “illegal content,” he estimated.
The minister mentioned creating an account with his team, claiming to be 14 years old. “In less than 20 minutes, we found ourselves watching depressing videos (…), caught in a deadly spiral,” with “self-harm tutorials” and “suicidal content,” he warned. “This is not an accident. The algorithm is designed to trap users in this spiral,” he emphasized.
After the announcement of the initiation of the criminal investigation in November, TikTok firmly denied the allegations, stating that they offer “over 50 features and specially designed settings to ensure the safety and well-being of teenagers.” On Wednesday, the Senate began discussing the ban on social networks for children under 15, dear to Emmanuel Macron, by approving a Macronist bill in committee. The bill will be presented to the full Senate on Tuesday.
