A Venezuelan court has imposed a $10 million fine on TikTok due to deadly viral challenges on its platform that resulted in the deaths of three children and injured dozens. The court ordered TikTok to pay the fine within 10 days and establish a formal office in Venezuela to ensure compliance with local laws.
The challenges involved the ingestion, inhalation, and application of hazardous chemical mixtures, prompting President Nicolas Maduro to condemn the activities and call for accountability. The judges criticized TikTok for a “lack of timely control” over the spread of harmful content on its platform, stating that TikTok bore partial responsibility for the tragic outcomes.
This incident adds to growing global concerns about TikTok, with governments worldwide grappling with how to regulate the platform’s influence on users, especially minors. In the US, TikTok is facing a sell-or-get-banned situation due to national security concerns, while it’s already banned in India, Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
Source: Nairametrics
