Mom Sues TikTok After Platform’s Content Led to Son’s Suicide
By Movieguide® Contributor
Editor’s note: The following story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know battles harmful thoughts, please dial 988 for help.
After losing her teen son to suicide, a mom decided to check his TikTok account. What she found gave her answers to her tragic loss.
16-year-old Mason Edens tragically died by suicide. When his mom, Jennie DeSerio, checked his account, the pieces horrifically fell into place.
“DeSerio said she found at least 15 videos Mason liked that directly promoted suicide, some of which are still on the platform more than a year later. At least five specifically promoted the method he had used,” NBC News reported.
DeSerio believes if Mason hadn’t seen the content, he would still be here today.
“I completely believe in my heart that Mason would be alive today had he not seen those TikTok videos,” she said.
DeSerio is now part of a lawsuit with other parents who have experienced the dark influence of social media.
“In at least four other active lawsuits brought against TikTok and other social media companies, parents have said TikTok content contributed to their children dying by suicide,” NBC News said.
“A 16-year-old boy should never be sent videos like that on TikTok. They’re not going to self-regulate until there’s true accountability,” DeSerio said.
The CDC is noticing a rise in depression and suicide linked back to social media.
“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show nearly 1 in 4 teens said they’d seriously considered killing themselves in 2021, nearly double the level a decade earlier,” Bloomberg reported. “The American Psychological Association and other authorities pin the blame partly on social media.”
Movieguide® previously reported on how the TikTok algorithm seems to target individuals by showing disturbing content:
Beth Hartman, a high school freshman in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, joined the app to watch dance videos and participate in the viral dance challenges herself. She, too, was soon bombarded with videos from users where they detailed what they ate each day – and she stopped to watch them.
“The videos were only a hundred calories a day, and then are saying, like, ‘Oh, this is way too much. Now I got to go exercise for an hour and a half to get rid of it,’” Hartman said…she was also already struggling with an eating disorder.
Parents need to be aware of the harm that can come from social media and protect their children at all costs. Simple internet use boundaries can prevent others from experiencing similar tragedies.
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