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More than 12,000 people have signed a petition to TikTok demanding “mirror” accounts for parents, which would allow parents to access the videos their children are watching.
The petition follows the death of a 12-year-old boy in Bethany, Oklahoma, on July 20, who died after attempting to complete a Tiktok trend called the “blackout” challenge. The challenge invites Tiktok users to check in by holding their breath or choking until they pass out. The boy was found unconscious with ligature marks on his neck and died the next morning.
Advocacy group ParentsTogether said “mirror” accounts would allow parents to step into dangerous situations and talk to their children about harmful content, citing cases such as extreme diets or white supremacist material as examples.
Several other children have died from the viral trend, including a 12-year-old boy in April and a 9-year-old boy in June.
“We would like to warn parents to stay involved with their children and take the time to watch what they are doing on social media,” the Bethany Police Department said in a statement. “Now more than ever because of blockages, children are bored and looking to occupy their time. Social media is a very influential part of a child’s life and should be closely scrutinized by parents.
The petition, addressed to TikTok CEO Vanessa Pappas, lists “bullying, sexual predators and harmful content that encourages violence and self-harm” as dangers created by the app for children.
“And even though it is the # 1 platform for kids, TikTok makes it extremely difficult for parents to keep children safe,” the petition states. “Unlike other platforms where a person’s content flow is based on the accounts and hashtags they follow, TikTok uses an opaque algorithm to choose what to show children. This means that parents have no way of knowing what their children are seeing.
Read the Original Story Parents TikTok Petition for “Mirror” Account Feature After Deadly “Blackout” Challenge at TheWrap
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