ROME (Reuters) – Italian communications regulator AGCOM said on Friday it had forced social media app TikTok to remove some videos showing young people performing a dangerous act known as the “French Scar”. .
The “French Scar” challenge involves pinching your cheeks and leaving a permanent bruise on your cheekbone. Last year, the app became so popular among young Italians that it was investigated by Italy’s antitrust authorities.
AGCOM said the decision follows new rules approved in December that allow Italy’s watchdog to order the removal of “harmful content” on video-sharing platforms to protect minors and consumers. said to represent the first application of
AGCOM said TikTok removed videos deemed harmful within the five days envisaged by the rules.
“We have already taken steps to ensure that our content is not recommended to users,” a TikTok spokesperson told Reuters, adding that the app had geo-registered videos in Italy at AGCOM’s request. He added that he had blocked it.
Other social media companies, including TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, and Metaplatform, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, are under pressure from regulators around the world to protect children from harmful content on their platforms. .
On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that his administration has filed a lawsuit against social media companies, including Facebook and Instagram, for fueling a youth mental health crisis.
(Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and Elvira Pollina; Editing by Alvise Armellini and Kirsten Donovan)