French court probes TikTok for algorithms pushing to suicide

PARIS - French judicial authorities said on Nov 4 they had opened an investigation into social media platform TikTok and the risks of its algorithms pushing young people into suicide.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the probe was in response to a French Parliament committee's request to open a criminal inquiry into TikTok's possible responsibility for endangering the lives of its young users.

She said a report by the committee had noted "insufficient moderation of TikTok, its ease of access by minors and its sophisticated algorithm, which could push vulnerable individuals towards suicide by quickly trapping them in a loop of dedicated content".

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The Paris police cybercrime brigade will look into the offence of providing a platform for "propaganda in favour of products, objects, or methods recommended as means of committing suicide", which is punishable by three years' imprisonment.

It will also look into the offence of enabling "illegal transactions by an organised gang", punishable by 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of €1 million (S$1.5 million).

Parliament report said TikTok endangers lives of users

The parliamentary report sought to examine the psychological effects of TikTok on young people after seven families accused the platform in a 2024 lawsuit of exposing their children to content pushing them to commit suicide.

The committee's chairman said on Sept 11 that TikTok "has deliberately endangered the health and lives of its users" and therefore referred the matter to the court. 

TikTok said at the time it "categorically rejects the Commission's misleading presentation, which seeks to make our company a scapegoat for issues that concern the entire sector and society as a whole".

The prosecutor's office said that besides the parliamentary report, the inquiry would include other findings including a 2023 Senate report highlighting risks in terms of freedom of expression, data collection and offensive algorithms. It also cited a 2023 Amnesty International report warning that TikTok algorithms are addictive and pose a risk of self-harm among young people.

It added that a February 2025 report by French state agency Viginum, which tracks foreign digital interference, warned of a risk of manipulation of public opinion in an electoral context. REUTERS