The suit alleges that TikTok directed Chase to adult accounts which offered depressing and violent material a minor should not have been allowed to see. In October of 2021, TikTok started to direct Chase to dangerous and harmful accounts that promoted highly depressive, violent, self-harm and suicide themed content for Chase. To his parents’ knowledge, Chase did not open a TikTok account at that time but cannot be sure because TikTok does not verify age or require parental consent for a minor to open an account. He had no history of anxiety or depression, had a supportive family and close friends, and in late 2021, was accepted to the Olympic Development Program soccer team.Ĭhase got his first cell phone when he was in 6th grade after moving to middle school so his parents could reach him if needed. Over the last 20 years, at least 30 people have been struck and killed by trains within a half mile of the intersection of Fairview and Railroad Avenues in cases involving both suicide and accidental death.Ĭhase was a smart and outgoing child who excelled at school, was athletic and participated in competitive sports. The lawsuit also seeks to hold the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), MTA Long Island Railroad and Town of Islip, responsible for negligence that created a dangerous environment around the train tracks which led to his death. They also hope that their support of lawmakers’ efforts to rein in TikTok will highlight the dangers that TikTok poses to minors and young adults through unwanted and dangerous content that could lead to mental health crises and ultimately self-harm. On Thursday, March 23, Chase’s parents, Dean and Michelle Nasca, will travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the Congressional House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing where TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before lawmakers, who continue to push for a ban over the social media app’s data security and privacy practices.ĭean and Michelle will be at the hearing to lend their support for more oversight of TikTok and the dangers it poses to minors and young adults in the pursuit of more profits. “While the United States government has primarily been focused on protecting our national security, they need to focus more on protecting our nation’s children.” “In China’s version of TikTok, minors 14 and under are limited to 45 minutes per day online and are directed to science experiments, museum exhibits, patriotic and educational videos,” Bergman added. “To maximize user engagement and increase profits, TikTok creates and co-creates harmful content and deliberately targets children in the United States with violent, dangerous, extreme and psychologically disturbing content from which they cannot look away. “We are seeking to hold TikTok accountable for engaging in dangerous and harmful practices that put our children at risk of self-harm all in the name of ‘engagement’ to increase their ad revenues,” said Matthew P. TikTok did not select this deadly content for Chase based on his search history (which included topics such as Bench Press Tips, Kitchen Hacks, Attack on Titan Opening Song, Trae Young Best Moments, Batman, and Gym Motivation, among others) or on the TikTok creators he was “Following.” Instead, TikTok selected and sent thousands of unsolicited suicidal videos directly to Chase’s “For You” page even though he had never searched for such material. The lawsuit, which was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in Suffolk County (Index No: 607250/2023), alleges that TikTok, which is owned by Chinese Company ByteDance, Ltd., purposefully sent Chase more than 1,000 videos promoting suicide, hopelessness and self-harm in order to maximize his level of engagement on the platform resulting in higher ad revenues for TikTok. in the Februdeath of Chase Nasca, 16, from Suffolk County, New York. SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Social Media Victims Law Center, a legal resource for parents of children and teenage victims harmed by social media addiction and online abuse, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against ByteDance, Inc.
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