Tawainna Anderson and her attorneys announced a wrongful death lawsuit against the company Thursday in Center City Philadelphia.
Anderson's daughter Nylah died last December after taking part in the "Blackout Challenge."
The challenge calls for people to attempt to hold their breath until they pass out.
Her mother says a change is needed.
"It is time that these dangerous challenges come to an end, that other families don't experience the heartbreak we have every day," said Anderson.
Anderson's attorneys say they want to learn how TikTok's algorithm targets children and stop it.
TikTok responded to the lawsuit and says the trend pre-dates its platform and has never been a TikTok trend.
The company added it remains vigilant about user safety and would immediately remove any related content.