TikTok is facing a wave of new lawsuits filed by 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday, accusing the popular social media platform of harming young people and failing to protect them.
The lawsuits, filed separately in New York, California, the District of Columbia, and 11 other states, intensify the legal battle between the Chinese-owned company and U.S. regulators. The states are seeking new financial penalties against TikTok.
The suits allege that TikTok uses intentionally addictive software to keep children engaged for extended periods and misrepresents the effectiveness of its content moderation efforts.
“TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The platform intentionally targets children, knowing they lack the capacity to set healthy boundaries around addictive content.”
The states argue that TikTok maximizes users’ time on the app to serve them ads, contributing to worsening mental health among young people.
“Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok,” added New York Attorney General Letitia James.
In response, TikTok stated it “strongly disagreed” with the claims, calling many of them “inaccurate and misleading,” and expressed disappointment that the states chose to sue instead of seeking collaborative solutions.
Source: Reuters
