Bayport Parents Sue TikTok, Say Videos Convinced Son To Commit Suicide

BAYPORT, NY — A Bayport family is suing TikTok, saying the social media app convinced their 16-year-old son to kill himself.

Dean and Michelle Nasca filed a lawsuit on March 21 against ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, stating that the "For You" page, of their son, Chase, was infiltrated with videos from "highly depressive, violent, self-harm, and suicide themed accounts."

The lawsuit states that Chase did not open or use TikTok — a video-sharing app where users can create, share, and view short video clips — to search violent videos, but for "uplifting and motivational content."

TikTok users who open the app are automatically shown an endless stream of videos through two ways. One is a "Followers" feature that shows content of followed accounts, and the other though its "For You" feature.

According to its website, the app's For You feature curates videos to a user's specific interests through an algorithm, making it "convenient to find videos and creators you love" and making the app experience personal.

Prior to downloading TikTok, Chase had no history of mental illness or suicidal thoughts, the lawsuit said.

When searching for videos, he used several keywords such as bench press tips, kitchen hacks, BoJack Horseman edits, gym motivation, motivational speech, and Batman.

"He excelled at school, was athletic and participated in competitive sports; Chase was close to his family and a large circle of friends," the suit said.

In late 2021, he was accepted to the Olympic Development Program soccer team, his third year trying out.

The Nasca family said they were aware Chase downloaded TikTok around 2019 or 2020. They thought little of it and had no reason to believe the app was defective or dangerous, the lawsuit said.

On February 18, 2022, Chase went to the gym and worked out, then stopped at Long Island Railroad LIRR train tracks on at the intersection of Railroad Street and Fairview Avenue in Bayport.

Chase messaged his friend on Snapchat, “I can’t do it anymore,” according to a screenshot obtained by his parents.

The section of track he accessed was not fenced, despite it being maintained and controlled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Town of Islip, the lawsuit said.

The Nasca family is also suing the MTA, the LIRR, and the Town of Islip.

"Trespassing on railroad tracks is illegal, dangerous, often ends tragically, and we do not comment on pending litigation," said MTA spokesperson Michael Cortez in a statement to Patch.

Spokespeople from the Town of Islip and TikTok also told Patch that they cannot comment on pending litigation.

After his death, the Nasca family went through Chase's TikTok account and discovered the history of suicidal and violent videos.

The lawsuit states that while users under 14 in China, where ByteDance is based in, have regulated and age-appropriate content, there is no such thing for young users in the United States.

"Chase did not die because TikTok allowed suicidal content to be posted to its platform or because it failed to adequately monitor or remove such content," the lawsuit said. "He died because of the TikTok Defendants decisions in the design, programming, and continued operation of TikTok’s technologies (things like metrics, data input, and operation speed) in the products TikTok distributes to U.S. teens."

On March 3, TikTok introduced a feature where users under 18 would automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit.

Its website said it is committed to the safety of its users and will not show self-harm related content when searching related terms.

"We do not allow content depicting, promoting, normalizing, or glorifying activities that could lead to suicide or self-harm," its website said. "We also do not permit TikTok community members to share content depicting them partaking in, or encouraging others to partake in, dangerous activities that may lead to serious injury or death. However, we do support members of our community sharing their personal experiences with these issues in a safe way to raise awareness and find community support."

U.S. lawmakers last week pressed TikToks CEO Shou Zi Chew over data security and harmful content, during a tense hearing, The Associated Press reported. Chew told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that TikTok prioritizes the safety of its young users and denied it’s a national security risk.

Michelle and Dean Nasca attended the hearing, appearing emotional in pictures.

The app faces a TikTok faces a possible a nationwide ban by the Biden administration.

Patch has reached out to Michael Bergman, the Nasca's attorney, for comment.