Why 14 States Are Suing TikTok
By Movieguide® Contributor
A bipartisan group of attorneys has filed a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging that the platform has “addicted” its young users.
The lawsuits, filed by 14 different attorneys, claim TikTok is violating state laws by stating that the app is safe for young people.
“TikTok’s underlying business model focuses on maximizing young users’ time on the platform so the company can boost revenue from selling targeted ads,” the attorneys general said in a statement. “TikTok uses an addictive, content-recommendation system designed to keep minors on the platform as long as possible and as often as possible, despite the dangers of compulsive use.”
These suits are being co-led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta. They are seeking “civil penalties, punitive damages, and injunctive relief,” according to Deadline.
Deadline added that the New York suit is meant to “remedy past and ongoing fraudulent, deceptive, and unlawful practices by TikTok…and to hold TikTok accountable for the harms it has inflicted on the youngest New Yorkers by falsely marketing and promoting its addictive and otherwise harmful mobile social media app and website in this State.”
The suit pointed to the “record levels” of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, adding, “A growing body of evidence isolates addictive social media as a key driver of the youth mental health crisis.”
In addition to New York and California, D.C., Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington have all filed suits.
“Our lawsuit is seeking to hold TikTok accountable for harming D.C. children,” District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb told CNBC. “In addition to prioritizing its profits over the health of children, TikTok’s unregulated and illegal virtual economy allows the darkest, most depraved corners of society to prey upon vulnerable victims. The company knows what is happening and has chosen to ignore it. This lawsuit seeks to put an end to its illegal, deceptive, and predatory behavior.”
TikTok has responded to these suits, with spokesperson Alex Haurek saying the company “strongly disagree[s]” with the allegations of harm towards young people.
“We’re proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product,” the statement continued. “We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features.”
Huarek added that Tiktok “endeavored to work with the Attorneys General for over two years, and it is incredibly disappointing they have taken this step rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industry-wide challenges.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the lawsuit Texas recently filed against TikTok:
The state of Texas recently sued TikTok, alleging the social media platform has been violating children’s privacy and state law.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton “said TikTok, whose parent is China’s ByteDance, does not provide tools to restrict children’s privacy and account settings, even allowing information to be shared from accounts set to ‘private,’ and allows targeted advertising to children,” per Reuters.
This violates Texas’ recent Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act (SCOPE), which was put in place to protect minors’ personal data from being mishandled. “Paxton seeks an injunction and civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation” of the act, Reuters added.
In a statement shared with Fox Business, Paxton said, “I will continue to hold TikTok and other Big Tech companies accountable for exploiting Texas children and failing to prioritize minors’ online safety and privacy.”
“Texas law requires social media companies to take steps to protect kids online and requires them to provide parents with tools to do the same. TikTok and other social media companies cannot ignore their duties under Texas law,” he concluded.
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