A Venezuelan Court has imposed a $10 million fine on TikTok following viral challenges that led to the deaths of three children and injured dozens in recent months.
In a ruling delivered on Monday, the court mandated TikTok to pay the fine to the nation’s telecommunications agency within 10 days.
Additionally, the social media platform was instructed to establish a formal office in Venezuela.
The tragic cases
The court’s decision follows the deaths of three children, aged 12, 13, and 14, who participated in TikTok challenges involving the ingestion, inhalation, and application of hazardous chemical mixtures.
- President Nicolas Maduro condemned these activities, emphasizing their dangerous nature and calling for accountability.
- In their ruling, the judges criticized TikTok for a “lack of timely control” over the spread of harmful content on its platform. They stated that TikTok bore partial responsibility for the tragic outcomes. Proceeds from the fine are to be allocated to a compensation fund for victims of the incidents.
- TikTok has yet to comment on the ruling.
Concerns over social media
This development comes amidst heightened scrutiny of social media platforms in Venezuela. President Maduro has intensified his criticism of platforms like TikTok and WhatsApp, accusing them of facilitating harmful activities.
Earlier this year, Maduro urged his supporters to delete WhatsApp, labeling it a tool used by “fascists” to incite violence.
This incident adds to a growing list of controversies surrounding TikTok, as governments worldwide grapple with how to regulate the platform’s influence on users, especially minors.
What you should know
In the U.S. the Bytedance-owned TikTok is currently facing a sell or get banned situation in a country where it has over 170 million users.
Its ordeal stems from a declaration by FBI Director, Chris Wray, that TikTok poses a national security risk, adding that Chinese companies are required to essentially “do whatever the Chinese government wants them to in terms of sharing information or serving as a tool of the Chinese government.”
Members of Congress have also complained the Chinese government has a “golden share” in ByteDance, giving it power over TikTok.
TikTok has said “an entity affiliated with the Chinese government owns 1% of a ByteDance subsidiary, Douyin Information Service,” and says the holding “has no bearing on ByteDance’s global operations outside of China, including TikTok.”
- However, President-elect Donald Trump has called for a postponement of the January 19 deadline requiring the app’s sale or an outright ban.
- In a request filed by Trump’s solicitor general nominee, John Sauer, the incoming administration is seeking additional time to negotiate a resolution that could balance national security concerns with the platform’s continued availability in the U.S.
- Meanwhile, TikTok is already banned in India, which was one of the app’s largest markets before it was outlawed in June 2020. It is also blocked in Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan and Somalia.
- The UK government and Parliament banned TikTok from staff work devices in 2023, as has the European Commission.
