Washington

A mother of a ten-year-old girl is suing Tiktok after she allegedly died trying to attempt the dangerous "blackout challenge".

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The girl was admitted in intensive care after she reportedly performed the "blackout challenge".

The "blackout challenge" encourages users to choke themselves until passing out due to lack of oxygen. The mother of the girl Tawainna Anderson said her daughter Nylah fell unconscious at home in December last year after choking as she took part in the TikTok challenge.

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Nylah was admitted in the hospital for five days but she died later. Tawainna Anderson submitted case documents in a Pennsylvania court detailing the circumstances behind her daughter's death.

According to court documents, Anderson claimed TikTok's algorithm allegedly determined that the blackout challenge was "well-tailored and likely to be of interest" for the 10-year-old.

The suit alleged that the algorithm took into account the girl's age and demographics. TikTok is being sued over wrongful death and negligence among other damages.

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Watch: US lawmakers questions YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok on kids’ online safety

The "blackout challenge" although is a TikTok phenomenon but it has been circulating for a long time. According to the US CDC, at least 82 youth had died after playing the "choking game" in 2008.

The CDC in its report had said the deaths occurred after a child engaged in the "choking game" alone and that most parents were unaware of it. Most parents had "not heard of the choking game", the report said. 

In fact, the report said three of less "choking games" were reported from 1995 to 2004 as 22 deaths occurred in 2005 and 35 in 2006. 

(With inputs from Agencies)

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