Clonazepam challenge: Venezuela summons TikTok over the death of minors

Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro has summoned TikTok authorities over an ongoing viral challenge on the platform. This month, the challenge – “clonazepam challenge” which includes ingesting or inhaling “dangerous mixes” of chemicals has reportedly led to the death of three children aged 12, 13, and 14 in the country. 

“If TikTok doesn’t end its dirty campaigns to mess with our minds, the Venezuelan law will have to be applied,” Maduro said on Monday after he summoned TikTok officials through the country’s highest court.

The president has also ordered Jorge Márquez, president of the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) to order TikTok Latin America to remove all forms of content relating to the challenge. He added that “Venezuela, in defence of its children and the right to life, will take the most severe measures against the social network TikTok.” 

Maduro, who described video content platform officials as “psychopaths [who] hate humanity” requested for the identification of the head of TikTok Latin America. “To the head of TikTok Latin America, who lives in Mexico, I say, ‘the death of these children falls on you because it is you who are doing this… I sent someone to find out what the name of the head of TikTok Latin America is, to show his face, so that he is known to the world,” said the Venezuelan president.

The president reaffirmed his commitment to safeguarding the lives of Venezuelan children. “Do not doubt for a second that I do not hesitate to take more severe measures against these TikTok criminals,” he concluded. 

In recent times, Maduro has attacked social media platforms such as TikTok and Whatsapp on the wave of his self-declared win in July’s presidential election. During his campaign earlier this year, he asked his supporters to remove WhatsApp from their phones, as he said it’s being used by “fascists” to spread violence connected to him.

He recounted a personal experience in which he was censored by TikTok after broadcasting a live event. “I was censored for a month, my account was closed for a month—and for presenting images that were dangerous to public health. Double standards, hypocrisy, lies, that is the world we have.” 

Following the deaths of the three minors, Venezuela Minister of Education, Héctor Rodríguez has requested further investigation into the deaths.

“We cannot forget that our teenagers are highly vulnerable to this type of provocation and that social networks appear to reward scandalous behaviour, which limits the possibility of reflective thinking and analysis of the consequences,” said Rodríguez.

Clonazepam – the viral challenge on TikTok

Clonazepam is a type of anti-epileptic drug that is used to treat certain seizure disorders, including absence seizures or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, in adults and children. It is also used to treat panic disorder, including agoraphobia, in adults. Clonazepam is mainly prescribed for the acute management of epilepsies.

Clonazepam is an anxiolytic that should only be administered if prescribed by a doctor and is used alone or in combination with other medications to control certain types of seizures and panic attacks.

However, a Journalist in Venezuela, Román Camacho reported that one of the minors was participating in the viral challenge, using clonazepam with other classmates. Upon consuming the pill, she experienced convulsions. She was then transferred from her home to the Ana Francisca Pérez de León hospital in Petare, where she died.

Before dying, the young woman indicated that she had taken this medication with some friends from school with whom she spoke via video call as part of a challenge in which the first one to fall asleep lost.

Since 2022, several children have died or been seriously affected in Latin America for participating in viral “challenges.” Countries such as Mexico, Colombia, and Peru have had records of casualties where children ingest the medication, and whoever falls asleep last “wins.”

Last year, a Peruvian girl, a fifth-grade student, was declared brain dead and later confirmed dead after participating in the controversial challenge. In Mexico, 45 people were affected by consuming clonazepam as of May 2023. In 2022 alone, the Cyber ​​Police of Mexico City identified around 500 incidents arising from internet challenges. In Colombia, 10 young people were poisoned last June for participating in a challenge related to clonazepam.

TikTok automated technology implementation in Latin America?

TikTok automated technology which removes content perceived as dangerous has been effective in Africa this year.  

According to the TikTok Q2 2024 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, over 2.1 million videos were removed from the platform in Nigeria. The report provides an account of the platform’s proactive approach to content moderation.

With over a billion people and millions of pieces of content posted every day, TikTok said that it is investing in technology solutions that improve content understanding, assess potential risks, and enable the platform to remove harmful content before it reaches viewers.

In June 2024, the platform removed over 178 million videos. Of these, 144 million were removed through automation globally. These technical advancements reduce the volume of content that moderators review, helping minimize human exposure to violent content.

According to the report, automated technology now removes 80% of violent videos, up from 62% a year ago. At the same time, the platform reported an improved proactive detection rate – Q2 2024 saw the highest result so far at 98.2%.

Likewise, during April, May, and June 2024, about 60,000 Kenyan accounts were banned. Of these, 57,262 were suspected to belong to under-13 users. The company expressed that it focused on establishing a secure user experience in Kenya and worldwide. It aimed to implement this by focusing on transparency and technological advancement. 

Following the Clonazepam challenge on TikTok which has caused several casualties in Latin America, its recent campaign to roll out cutting-edge moderation tools and transparency is under question.

Also Read: TikTok removed 2.1 million videos in Nigeria in Q2 2024- safety report.