TikTok Sued By 13 States, Accused Of Creating Harmful and Addictive Features That ‘Intentionally Targets Children’

Thirteen U.S. states and the District of Columbia filed new lawsuits against TikTok, claiming that the popular social media platform is harming and not protecting young people, as reported by Reuters.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Solen Feyissa

Thirteen U.S. states and the District of Columbia filed new lawsuits against TikTok, claiming that the popular social media platform is harming and not protecting young people, as reported by Reuters.

“TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. Bonta went on to add that

“TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James said,

“Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok.” 

On Tuesday, TikTok refuted those claims, expressing their disappointment in the states decision to sue

“rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges.”

TikTok has safety features like automatic screen time limits and privacy settings for users under 16, according to the company.

Washington’s lawsuit claimed that TikTok facilitates with the sexual exploitation of underage users, stating that TikTok’s live streaming and virtual currency

“operate like a virtual strip club with no age restrictions.”

Other states like Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington also filed lawsuits. 

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is currently battling a U.S. law that could lead to the app being banned in the country.

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