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Amnesty France Files DSA Complaint Accusing TikTok of Steering Teens Into Self‑Harm Content

New tests found 13-year-old test profiles were pushed from sadness topics to depressive and suicidal videos within minutes.

Overview

  • Amnesty International France said it has lodged a Digital Services Act complaint with Arcom, asserting TikTok is failing to meet EU obligations to protect minors.
  • The report describes three 13-year-old test accounts whose For You feeds shifted to mostly mental‑health content within 15–20 minutes, with suicidal‑thought videos appearing on two accounts in about 45 minutes.
  • Researchers also ran 12 automated accounts with the Algorithmic Transparency Institute and observed amplification of mental‑health content, though less than on the manually driven profiles.
  • TikTok rejected the methodology as producing a predetermined outcome and said it provides age‑appropriate experiences, claiming nine in ten violating videos are removed before viewing.
  • Amnesty is submitting its evidence to the European Commission’s ongoing probe into TikTok’s protections for minors and is backing families pursuing legal action, with a petition set to be presented to the Commission on November 24.