Attorneys general in 13 states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against TikTok for harming the mental health of children and teens and misleading the public about the platform’s safety.
The lawsuits, all filed individually in state courts, allege the “addictive” video-sharing platform has violated state laws by claiming the app is safe for young people.
In reality, several of its users struggle with poor mental health and body image issues. Some even physically harm themselves because of the so-called TikTok “challenges,” which are created and promoted on the platform, according to the bipartisan coalition of attorneys general.
“TikTok claims that their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from true,” New York AG Letitia James said in a statement Tuesday. “In New York and across the country, young people have died or gotten injured doing dangerous TikTok challenges and many more are feeling more sad, anxious, and depressed because of TikTok’s addictive features.”
The 14 attorneys general, from states including New York, New Jersey and California, have filed the lawsuits to “help combat the nationwide youth mental health crisis,” James said. “Kids and families across the country are desperate for help to address this crisis, and we are doing everything in our power to protect them.”
According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, TikTok deliberately uses social media addiction to boost profits. Children are “intentionally” targeted because the company knows “kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.”
Even though the app is only available for users older than 13, children can easily bypass TikTok’s minimum age restrictions, the complaint filed by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb alleges.
Officials also accuse the company of enabling the sexual exploitation of children — and profiting from it — through its live-streaming feature, which allows the app to essentially operate like a virtual strip club with no age restrictions.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, strongly pushed back against the complaints, slamming the claims as “inaccurate and misleading.”
“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,” a company spokesperson said in a reply to the lawsuits. “It is incredibly disappointing [the AGs] have taken this step rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges.”
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to divest the app or see it banned in the U.S. due to national security concerns. In May, the company sued the U.S. government for enacting “a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community.”