Tiktok

[Forestgate]

Archie battersbea- tiktok should be paying for his lifetime medical support and then compensation on top

Absolutely horrific and these companies don't care and get away Scott free

They need to be brought to justice . His family should sue

Don't let your children or teens use these platforms

It's utterly tragic what happened but ultimately these companies cannot police every person who uses their platforms. It's suspected he took part in the 'blackout trend' but not confirmed - the trend was around when I was younger and the lack of social media didn't stop it filtering through to kids.

Social media is massively toxic when it comes to children and young people.

I disagree . It's not excusable to hide behind the excuse that they can't police every user. If they can't control their content then they should be shut down, just like any other company encouraging violence and dangerous activities would be

Or provide police with account details of all users engaged in such activities

That would put a stop to it

Why do we as a society allow them to get away with it?

It's lazy and shameful

I think a bit more background reading into the case you reference would be worthwhile OP. This is one interpretation of what has tragically happened, but not the only plausible one.

What happened is tragic, but Archie was below the minimum age for using the platform.
Children are not mature enough to handle social media.

Archie was under age to be using Tik Tok in the first place. So how did he have access?

But not every company is shut down if they can't control their content or encourage violence - hence why I said SM (in particular) is toxic.

Yes OK fair enough parents must be wracked with guilt but you see kids on tiktok and Instagram all the time and the content just seems out of control with no checks and measures

But that's poor parenting, not the platforms' fault. They make it clear that it's not to be used by under 13s / 16s / 18s.
Parents need to be responsible for monitoring what their children are accessing online. It's nobody else's fault. Set parental controls on devices and routers, check what your child is accessing, allow them closely supervised access to platforms on your own devices / accounts as they approach the minimum age so you can coach them on how to handle what they see.

There is absolutely no evidence that Archie was taking part in this challenge, not having his phone on him for starters. The general consensus is that Archie committed suicide but his devastated mum doesn't want to believe this, sadly she also seems to think that doctors have been withholding treatment, are executing him if his machine is switched off etc.

It's a sad situation all around but I don't think Tiktok are to blame

It’s not TikTok’s problem not its fault. It is not a platform for children.

It is extremely tragic but he should not have been allowed on TikTok in the first place.

*nor

This type of “let’s ban it” campaigns have been around for years. When I was young it was video games and now it’s social media

Bans will not stop things happening. As pp’s have said there are already age restrictions (same as in video games). If parents allow their children to participate in activities that is below the recommended age then that is not the fault of the providers

I think there is no proof that he was doing a tiktok challenge so sueing them would likely be a none starter?

Nylah Anderson's parents who are currently sueing, I believe did have proof of her watching challenges in that which makes that case a bit different.

But it's a tragic situation and a lot of young people do have a lot of social media apps that they probably shouldn't have unsupervised.

There's no evidence that it was a TikTok challenge.

So if there was evidence that he deliberately followed a TikTok trend @Forestgate would you like to see his parent prosecuted (with neglect?) for enabling his access to it?

Don't let your children or teens use these platforms

That’s the solution right there.

It’s an absolutely harrowing and tragic case. I can’t fathom what his family are going through.

But you can’t blame or expect TikTok to pay for his medical expenses or compensation. That’s absurd.

• Parents need to supervise what their children are accessing online. Read the terms and conditions. (Yes it’s a ball ache) Understand the age limits.
• Schools need to educate children more about staying safe online. Teachers and safeguarding staff need to know what they’re dealing with. They can’t fob parents off with “what ever happens outside school hours isn’t our problem”. All school staff have a duty of care.
• Society as a whole need to understand children are too young for smart phones, tablets, apps and the internet.

What happened ?

As others have said there was no evidence he was and he should not have access. Should we ban all films rated 15+ in case a child sees it? I would say as parents it’s our responsibility to police our children’s viewing habits. I hate these knee jerk mentalities.

I guess it just annoys me that the debate in the media is all NHS bashing and this massively misses thr point

Sadly the damage was done before he arrived at hospital. Whatever the exact circumstances t social media had a massive role to play, yet once again these platforms escape any scrutiny

I disagree, he hung him self, nothing to do with Tik TOk, just an excuse to blame someone for his death. Read the evidence, as sad as this case is, he was dead when the Paramedics got there.

You are just not getting it are you?