A TikTok executive has stated that data requested by a group of parents, who believe their children died while attempting a trend seen on the platform, may have been deleted.
The parents are suing TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, over the deaths of Isaac Kenevan, Archie Battersbee, Julian "Jools" Sweeney, and Maia Walsh, all aged between 12 and 14.
The lawsuit claims the children died while attempting the "blackout challenge," where a person intentionally deprives themselves of oxygen.
Giles Derrington, a senior government relations manager at TikTok, told BBC Radio 5 Live that there are some things "we simply don't have" due to "legal requirements around when we remove data."
Speaking on Safer Internet Day, a global effort to raise awareness about online dangers, Mr. Derrington said TikTok had been in touch with some of the parents, noting they "have been through something unimaginably tragic."
In an interview on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the families accused the tech company of showing "no compassion."
Ellen Roome, mother of 14-year-old Jools, said she had been trying to get data from TikTok that she believes could clarify his death. She is advocating for laws that would allow parents to access their child's social media accounts if they pass away.
"We want TikTok to be open and help us—why hold back on giving us the data?" Lisa Kenevan, mother of 13-year-old Isaac, told the program. "How can they sleep at night?"
When asked why TikTok had not provided the data the parents were requesting, Mr. Derrington said:
"This is really complicated because it involves legal requirements about when we need to remove data. Under data protection laws, we must delete data quite quickly, which affects what we can do.
"We always want to do everything we can to provide answers on these issues, but there are some things we simply don't have," he added.
When asked if this meant TikTok no longer had records of the children's accounts or their content, Mr. Derrington said: "These are complex situations where data removal requirements can affect what is available.
"Everyone expects that when we are legally required to delete data, we have done so.
"So this is more complicated than just having something we're not sharing.
"Obviously, it's really important that the case proceeds properly and that people get as many answers as possible."
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the parents in the US by the Social Media Victims Law Center, claims TikTok broke its own rules about what can be shown on the platform.