Venezuela’s Supreme Court has ordered TikTok to pay a $10 million fine for failing to prevent viral video challenges that authorities link to three recent child deaths in the country.

As CNN reports, Judge Tania D’Amelio announced on December 31 that the platform had eight days to pay the fine to the National Communications Commission (Conatel) and that the funds would be used to establish a special account to compensate victims of viral challenges. The court also mandated TikTok to open a local office in Venezuela.

The ruling cites TikTok’s failure to implement “necessary and adequate measures” to prevent the spread of viral challenge content. However, the court did not specify enforcement mechanisms if TikTok, whose parent company ByteDance is based in China, refuses to comply with the fine.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro connects TikTok to a November incident where a 12-year-old girl allegedly died after participating in a challenge involving tranquilizer pills and attempting to stay awake. Education Minister Hector Rodriguez reports a separate case of a 14-year-old’s death linked to a challenge involving inhaling substances. Venezuela’s attorney general attributes a third child death to TikTok challenges.

The action against TikTok follows Venezuela’s broader pattern of media regulation. The government has previously blocked dozens of websites for non-compliance with telecommunications commission rules. In 2023, over 60 websites belonging to human rights organizations and news outlets faced temporary blocks, according to VE Sin Filtro, a media freedom monitoring group.

This enforcement effort emerges amid Venezuela’s recent social media restrictions. In August, the government banned X for 10 days after Maduro accused platform owner Elon Musk of orchestrating attacks against Venezuela. While private internet providers now allow X access, the state-owned provider Movilnet maintains the block.

Venezuela faces international scrutiny over its July 2024 presidential election. Both the United Nations and the Carter Center report the election failed to meet international standards, leading to tensions between Maduro’s government and social media platforms that hosted criticism of the electoral process.

On December 27, Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court to delay a January 19 deadline that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban. The court has previously scheduled an oral argument on the platform’s future for January 10.