AUSTIN, Texas — The State of Texas sued TikTok and its owner, according to documents shared by the Texas attorney general Thursday. TikTok was accused of showing inappropriate content to minors, being deliberately addictive, misleading parents and failing to disclose the risks.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the Chinese-owned video app lied about its safety standards and had prevalent explicit material.
“TikTok actively worked to deceive parents and lure children onto their app despite the presence of an overwhelming amount of profane and illicit material,” said Paxton in an emailed news release. “Companies may not jeopardize the health and wellbeing of Texas children by blatantly lying about the products they provide.”
The redacted lawsuit accused the app of exposing children to profanity, sexual content, violence, and drug-related material. The state said TikTok was being misleading by claiming a “12+” rating in app stores.
The lawsuit comes as the United States Supreme Court was deciding on a law that could ban TikTok in the United States. The court appeared to agree that the app posed a national security risk.
TikTok could continue to operate if it was sold away from its Chinese parent company. The ban would start Jan. 19.