Italy has temporarily blocked access to TikTok for certain users after prosecutors opened an investigation into the death of a 10-year-old girl, who allegedly participated in the "blackout challenge".
In a statement, Italy's data privacy watchdog said it was too easy to flout the video-sharing app's rule to ban registration for children aged under 13.
It has installed a ban on accounts where ages cannot be verified until at least Monday, February 15.
The ruling came after a young girl was found dead of asphyxiation in Palermo, Sicily last week. Her parents said she had been taking part in the so-called blackout challenge, also referred to as "scarfing" or "the choking game", in which participants restrict their oxygen until they pass out. It is similar to the Pass Out Challenge, which became popular in early 2020.
"We didn't know she was participating in this game," the girl's father told la Repubblica newspaper. "We knew that [our daughter] went on TikTok for dances, to look at videos. How could I imagine this atrocity?"
Prosecutors have now opened an investigation into whether someone invited the girl to take part in the challenge.
The watchdog said the app was banned from "further processing user data for which there is no absolute certainty of age and, consequently, of compliance with the provisions related to the age requirement".
This means users of unverified accounts are no longer able to upload videos or interact with others on the platform.
The data protection agency said it had already raised concerns with TikTok in December, citing a "lack of attention to the protection of minors" and criticising how easy it is for underage children to sign up to the platform.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
