the spread of which it failed to control, its Supreme Court ruled and fined the Chinese platform $10 million.
The social media company must, within eight days, pay the amount to the National Communications Commission (Conatel) and the money will be used to create a special fund to “compensate the victims of the viral challenges”. The court also required the video platform to set up an office in the country to represent itself.
It was not specified what the consequences would be if TikTok did not comply with the ruling. Last November, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said at least two of the children died after taking part in challenges that included inhaling toxic substances or taking anxiety medication without falling asleep.
The decision comes after the appeal filed by the educational organization Bolivarian Movement of Aristóbulo Istúriz Families.
Case X and sanctions against TikTok around the world
The Venezuelan government has issued restrictions on social media platforms in the past. In August, Maduro announced that Conatel had suspended access to the X network for 10 days after owner Elon Musk disputed the result of the July 28 presidential election. However, many Venezuelans can still access X by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to hide their IP address.
About a week ago (Dec. 27), a Russian court fined TikTok three million rubles (about $29,000) after it was found guilty of violating Russian legal restrictions on the distribution of certain types of information, the courts’ press service reported. Moscow.
In many countries around the world, families, organizations and government agencies have appealed against the Chinese platform, accusing it of harmful effects on the mental health of young users.
In Albania, however, , which it says aims to curb youth crime but which business owners and human rights groups say threatens trade and free speech ahead of elections in May.
