Mother Fights Social Media Platforms After Teen Son's Suicide: The Deadly Impact of Algorithmic Content

France:

A mother in France is waging a battle against social media platforms after her 15-year-old son died by suicide, claiming their algorithmic content recommendations pushed him toward self-harm.

Speaking with AFP, Emmanuelle Pouedras shared her experience as France contemplates restricting social media access for teenagers, potentially implementing a ban for children under 15 similar to Australia's recent legislation.

Clement had just begun his third-to-last year of secondary education when he took his life by jumping from a bridge in Brittany in 2024.

Pouedras, a 55-year-old shopkeeper, and her husband Sebastien are now pursuing legal action to reopen the investigation into their son's death and hold social media companies accountable.

They filed formal charges against TikTok, Meta, and other platforms in September, including accusations of incitement to suicide.

According to Pouedras, the majority of videos appearing on Clement's TikTok "For You" page—content selected by the platform's algorithm—were "inciting him to death, telling him he doesn't matter to anyone."

She believes this self-harm content "exacerbated" her son's distress and sent him into a "downward spiral."

"TikTok knew he wasn't doing well, TikTok did nothing and TikTok is not helping us find the truth," she stated, condemning the platform's inaction.

Her son also experienced cyberbullying on WhatsApp in the hours preceding his death, she revealed to AFP.

Pouedras recently participated in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Saint-Malo, Brittany, discussing social media's challenges to democracy.

During this gathering, Macron announced that legislation would be debated in parliament as early as January to prohibit social media for anyone under "15 or 16 years old."

Pouedras questioned the president about immediate measures he would request from prosecutors and social media platforms "to support bereaved families."

Before Clement's death, Pouedras exercised caution regarding smartphone use, requiring her children to keep their devices out of their bedrooms at night.

While police didn't examine Clement's phone during their investigation, she later discovered messages indicating he had been cyberbullied.

One WhatsApp group chat message cruelly asked: "Have you finished your shitty suicide?"

Pouedras spent months attempting to obtain data from platforms including Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok to understand what contributed to her son's death.

Despite France's data protection authority CNIL mandating platform compliance, she received only partial responses to her requests.

The family's September 19 legal complaint, filed through attorney Pierre Debuisson, accused the platforms of "deliberate obstruction." Their lawyer argued that social media sites hosted "multiple incitements to suicide, accessible to minors without any protective filter."

Regional prosecutors have not indicated what action they might take regarding the Pouedras' complaint.

TikTok responded to AFP stating it "strictly prohibits content that depicts or promotes suicide or self-harm" and "removes 98 percent of violating content before it is even reported."

The platform added that searches containing terms like "suicide" are redirected to "a page with dedicated resources."

Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, did not immediately comment on AFP's inquiry.

Globally, momentum is building to address social media's impact on youth mental health.

A French parliamentary commission investigating TikTok's psychological effects recommended in September prohibiting social media for children under 15 and implementing a "digital curfew" for those aged 15 to 18.

The commission was established in March after seven families sued TikTok in late 2024, alleging the platform exposed their children to content potentially encouraging suicide.

In a world-first action, Australia recently banned social media for users under 16, declaring it was time to "take back control" from powerful tech companies. Major platforms including YouTube and Meta have publicly opposed the ban.