This file photo taken on January 21, 2021, in Nantes, France shows the screen of a smartphone displaying the logo of Chinese social network Tik Tok. LOIC VENANCE / AFP
The Paris prosecutor's office said on Tuesday, November 4, that it has opened an investigation into TikTok over allegations that the platform allows content promoting suicide and that its algorithms may encourage vulnerable young people to take their own lives.
The announcement follows a lawsuit targeting TikTok by several French families, a French parliamentary probe into the psychological impact of TikTok on children and reports detailing similar issues published by Amnesty International and the French Senate.
The Paris prosecutor's office said in a statement that the investigation will examine "content consisting notably of the promotion of suicide" as well as whether TikTok respected obligations to notify authorities of infractions committed by intermediaries.
In a statement provided Tuesday to The Associated Press, TikTok refuted the claims in the parliamentary report that helped lead to the investigation.
