Official TikTok announcement or Venezuelan government confirmation

Venezuela Fines TikTok $10 Million for Viral Challenges Linked to Three Children's Deaths and 200 Intoxications

Dec 31, 2024, 12:41 AM

Venezuela's Supreme Court has imposed a $10 million fine on TikTok, owned by ByteDance, for failing to implement measures to prevent viral video challenges that allegedly led to the deaths of three children and the intoxication of 200 more. The court's decision, announced by Judge Tania D’Amelio, mandates TikTok to pay the fine within eight days and to establish an office in Venezuela to ensure compliance with local laws. The fine will be used to create a fund for victims of TikTok, aimed at compensating for psychological, emotional, and physical harm, particularly to children and adolescents. The challenges in question involved the ingestion or inhalation of chemical substances, which authorities claim were promoted through viral challenges on the platform.