TikTok has been hit by a barrage of lawsuits by over a dozen states in the US, who accused the social media giant of harming and failing to protect young children.
The lawsuits, filed on Tuesday in 13 US states and the District of Columbia, say that TikTok intentionally uses addictive software designed to keep children watching as long and often as possible, plus misrepresenting the effectiveness of its content moderation.
The lawsuits – which damn its infinite short-video scroll as “digital nicotine” – expand the Chinese-owned TikTok’s legal fight with US regulators, and seek new financial penalties against the company.
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“TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.
“TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defences or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.”
TikTok seeks to maximise the amount of time users spend on the app in order to target them with ads, the states say.
“Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said.
TikTok said last week it strongly disagrees with allegations it fails to protect children, saying “in fact, we offer robust safeguards for teens and parents.”
‘Dangerous new features’
Washington DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb alleged two new features – TikTok LIVE and TikTok Coins – expose children to dangerous parts of the app, because minors can easily access its unlicensed money transmission business through its live streaming and virtual currency features.
“TikTok’s platform is dangerous by design. It’s an intentionally addictive product that is designed to get young people addicted to their screens,” Schwalb said in an interview.
He said a US surgeon-general had warned that unchecked use of social media apps pose a “profound risk of harm” to minors’ mental health and well-being.
Washington’s lawsuit accused TikTok of facilitating sexual exploitation of underage users, saying TikTok’s live streaming and virtual currency “operate like a virtual strip club with no age restrictions”.
Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington state also sued on Tuesday.
In March 2022, eight states including California and Massachusetts, said they launched a nationwide probe of TikTok impacts on young people.
The US Justice Department sued TikTok in August for allegedly failing to protect children’s privacy on the app.
Other states previously sued TikTok for failing to protect children from harm, including Utah and Texas.
TikTok on Monday rejected the allegations in a court filing. TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance is also battling a US law that could ban the app in the US.
Chinese officials have also been concerned about the negative aspects of children getting addicted to gaming and social media.
China’s cyberspace regulator said in August 2023 it wanted the use of smartphones by youngsters aged 16 to 18 limited to two hours a day, while children aged eight to 16 would get one hour and those under eight would be allowed just eight minutes.
- Reuters with additional input and editing by Jim Pollard
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