TikTok denounces French criminal probe over youth suicides

Social media platform TikTok on Tuesday denounced the opening of a French criminal investigation into its algorithms, accused of driving young people to suicide.

"We strongly refute the accusations," TikTok said in a statement sent to AFP, adding it offers "more than 50 features and preset settings designed specifically to support the safety and well-being of teenagers".

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the probe was opened in response to a parliamentary inquiry which had highlighted a failure to protect the mental health of "vulnerable" users on the app.

The parliamentary committee, chaired by Socialist lawmaker Arthur Delaporte, had in September recommended a social media ban for under-15s and a "digital curfew" for older minors.

The Paris police cybercrime unit will look into concerns of "propaganda in favour of products, objects, or methods recommended as means of committing suicide", which is punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($51,000).

It will also investigate whether the app provides an online platform for "illegal transactions by organised gangs," punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of 1 million euros.

With more than 1.5 billion users worldwide, TikTok -- owned by China-based ByteDance -- has been especially under fire from Western governments in Europe and the United States in recent years.

Concerns raised over the platform have included content encouraging suicide, self-harm or an unhealthy body image, as well as its potential use for foreign political interference.

A TikTok spokesman told AFP in September that the company "categorically rejects the deceptive presentation" by French MPs, saying it was being made a "scapegoat" for broader societal issues.