Italy bans TikTok after 10-year-old girl dies

As a result of the death of a 10-year-old girl who incidentally killed herself in the "Tik Tok Blackout Challenge", Italy has ordered Chinese-owned Tik Tok to stop young children from using its app.

Children under the age of 13 should not use Tik Tok. But the Italian state regulator wants apps to block unverified user accounts by February 15. According to these reports, it was easy for children under the age of 13 to bypass the app's registration rules.

The unidentified girl, from Palermo, Sicily was declared brain dead after trying to take part in a so-called "Blackout Challenge" last week, in which dares participants to suffocate themselves till they pass out for several seconds.

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According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the girl tied a belt around her neck and accidentally killed herself.

Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the death, which has shocked Italy, and are looking into whether anyone invited the girl to participate in the challenge.

A spokesman for TikTok in Italy told Reuters: "Privacy and security are absolute priorities for TikTok and we tirelessly working to strengthen our policies, our processes and also our technologies to protect our communities and especially young users."