Parents of LI suicide teen break down during TikTok hearing on Capitol Hill

The grieving parents of a Long Island teen who committed suicide after watching hours of “psychologically disturbing” TikTok videos broke down during a hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday.

Dean and Michelle Nasca, whose 16-year-old son, Chase, took his own life last year after receiving more than 1,000 unsolicited videos of violence and suicide, openly sobbed as US Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) recounted their son’s tragic death.  

“Your company destroyed their lives,” Bilirakis told TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about the teenager’s parents.

“His ‘For You’ page was sadly a window to discover suicide. It’s unacceptable, sir!”  

The Nascas filed a lawsuit against the Chinese-owned social media giant in Suffolk County Supreme Court on Tuesday, claiming their son was “targeted, overwhelmed and actively goaded” into committing suicide.

“The TikTok defendants know that violent, dangerous, extreme and psychologically disturbing content triggers a greater dopamine response in minors than safe and benign content,” the 91-page complaint said.

“To maximize user engagement and increase profits, TikTok creates and co-creates such content and deliberately targets children in the United States with violent, dangerous, extreme and psychologically disturbing content from which they can’t look away.”

The lawsuit claims that Chase didn’t seek out violent content, but was allegedly targeted by TikTok and flooded with depressing and suicide-themed clips “several hours every day.”

On Feb. 18, 2022, the teen was heading home from the gym when he stopped on railroad tracks and messaged a friend on Snapchat, “I can’t do it anymore.”

He was struck and killed by an MTA train in Islip.

The lawsuit names TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance Ltd., TikTok Inc., the MTA, and the Long Island Rail Road, as well as the town of Islip.

The congressional hearings come as some lawmakers are pushing for a TikTok ban in the US over potential national security threats and alleged ties to the Chinese government — and content harmful to youngsters like Chase Nasca.

“With your two children, would you want them to see this?” Bilirakis chided Chew. “I want you to warn everyone watching ‘You may find this content disturbing.’”