Caracas [Venezuela], December 31: Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice has just fined TikTok $10 million (VND254.8 billion) related to viral challenges on this video-sharing platform that caused the deaths of three teenagers due to chemical poisoning.
AFP on December 31 quoted Judge Tania D'Amelio as saying that TikTok was negligent in failing to take "necessary and adequate measures" to prevent the spread of content encouraging such challenges.
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, will have to open an office in the South American country and has eight days to pay the fine or face "appropriate" measures.
Venezuela will use the money to "create a TikTok victims' fund, aimed at compensating for the psychological, emotional and physical harm suffered by users, especially if these users are children and adolescents," D'Amelio said.
The company told the court it "understands the seriousness of the problem," the judge said on December 30.
Venezuelan authorities say three teenagers have died and 200 people at schools across the country have been poisoned after drinking chemicals as part of a social media "challenge".
TikTok's huge global success is partly due to the success of its challenges, a call for users to create videos featuring dances, pranks or games that sometimes go viral, according to AFP.
The app has been accused of endangering users by spreading dangerous challenge videos. TikTok's official policy prohibits videos that encourage self-harm and suicide.
In November, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro threatened to take "severe measures" against TikTok if the app did not remove content related to what he called "criminal challenges."
Venezuela's National Assembly is considering laws to regulate social media, which Mr Maduro says is used to promote "hatred", "fascism" and "division".
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper