Concerned parents claim more than 1 billion euros from video app TikTok
Parents of children who use the popular app TikTok are filing a claim against the company behind that app. They want an amount that they say could rise to 1.4 billion euros. The parents believe that the app does not protect the safety and privacy of their children well. Research by children's rights organization Terre des Hommes shows that three-quarters of children do not report an 'unsafe situation' on TikTok or YouTube.
This article was published on 2nd June 2021 on Gelderlander, in the Netherlands.
The case was brought by the Foundation for Market Information Research (SOMI), which represents more than 64,000 parents. One of the founders of the foundation, Cor Wijtvliet, says that regulators do not act against TikTok and that he is therefore going to court in Amsterdam. Today, the complainants sent a subpoena to TikTok.
According to SOMI, TikTok collects data from children, so that they can see targeted advertisements, without properly requesting permission. In addition, TikTok would collect much more data than necessary. Furthermore, SOMI says that TikTok is doing too little to protect children. According to the foundation, several children have died abroad as a result of challenges, in which users encourage each other to do dangerous things.
TikTok has previously said that it is doing a lot to ensure the safety of young users. For example, the company says that accounts of users between the ages of 13 and 15 are set to private by default. Unknowns can't see their videos automatically. Moderators also bar inappropriate videos and users can report offensive material.
'Shocking'
Children's rights organization Terre des Hommes calls it 'shocking' that three-quarters of children do not report an online threat. Parents' main concern is that their son or daughter will be approached by strangers (68 percent), followed by a fear that their child won't know the difference between 'real' messages and people and 'fake' messages and people (67 percent). Another finding is that almost half of the parents fear that their children are doing unsafe and unwanted things that they do not tell (48 percent).
Research agency Kien carried out the representative survey on behalf of Terre des Hommes among more than 1000 parents of children aged 8-17 years. Today the children's rights organization starts an awareness campaign about online safety. Victims are also getting younger, according to the researchers at Terre des Hommes. “Too many parents don't know exactly what their children are doing online. We have had investigations with victims of 11 years old”, says project leader Jasper Iking.
Online Safety
More than half (56 percent) of parents are concerned about their child's online safety. More than one in four parents (28 percent) also indicate that their son or daughter sometimes reports an unpleasant situation on the internet.
Most concerns are about the use of social media TikTok, YouTube and online games.
Read the full article (in Dutch): https://www.gelderlander.nl/tech/bezorgde-ouders-claimen-meer-dan-1-miljard-euro-van-filmpjesapp-tiktok~a64a13cb/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.zoho.eu%2F