Some users in Italy may find themselves unable to access TikTok after Italian authorities blocked anyone below 13 years old from logging into the popular video-sharing app.
TikTok has complied with the request of the Italian authorities to block users below 13 years old. The video-sharing app's updated terms and conditions now require users to be at least 13 years old to gain access. TikTok also temporarily blocked the access of other users who cannot prove their age definitively. The move came after a young girl, who is also a user of the popular video-sharing app, died after allegedly participating in the TikTok challenge called the "blackout game" or the "choking game."
TikTok blocked for some users in Italy over 'blackout game' allegations #technology #tech #technews #teknocks
via /r/technology https://t.co/is3STLD8Vr — Teknocks (@teknocks) January 24, 2021
Italian authorities launched an investigation after initial information showed a TikTok challenge might have played a role in her death. According to reports, the young girl's sister told her parents the victim was playing the "blackout game" just before the fatal incident. Also called "scarfing" or the "choking game," the video-sharing app challenge encourages users to asphyxiate themselves in whatever manner they want until they pass out.
Cooperating With Authorities
TikTok released a statement Friday announcing the updates to its terms and conditions regarding who can log into the popular video-sharing app. The company said it is barring entry for anyone below 13 years old and as for those in this age range who already have accounts on TikTok, their access is temporarily barred. According to the company, it is cooperating with Italian authorities after the alleged "blackout game" led to the death of a 10-year-old girl.
The young girl reportedly died in a Palermo hospital after her five-year-old sister discovered her Wednesday in the family bathroom with her cellphone. The younger sister reportedly told her parents that the victim was playing the TikTok challenge called the "blackout game" before her death. Italian authorities are holding the mobile phone as evidence in the ongoing investigation.
Safety Is Priority
TikTok revealed that they failed to identify content on its platform that might have encouraged the young girl to participate in the challenge called the "blackout game." Nevertheless, the company said they are extending full cooperation to Italian authorities in their ongoing investigation about the death of the young girl and for possible "incitement to suicide." In the meantime, the popular video-sharing app blocked access to the site to anyone below 13 years old.
"The safety of the TikTok community is our absolute priority, for this motive we do not allow any content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies behavior that could be dangerous," a spokesperson for Tiktok said. Earlier, the Italian Data Protection Authority announced it would block TikTok until February 15, by which the regulator hopes that TikTok would already have implemented safety measures, including blocking access of anyone below 13 years old. It is not yet clear whether the "blackout game" challenge has any direct links to the death of the young girl, though both Italian authorities and TikTok are considering that in their investigation.
