Attorneys general from 14 states filed lawsuits Tuesday against TikTok, alleging that the social media platform is misleading the public about its safety.
The lawsuits, filed individually by state, allege that TikTok (owned by the China-based company Byte Dance) is harming children’s mental health, with some kids getting injured or even dying because of TikTok’s viral “challenges.” The suit also claim that TikTok relies on “addictive features” that keep users glued to its platform, which in turn can hurt their mental health. These features include notifications that can harm kids’ sleep patterns and video autoplay that encourages users to spend more time on the platform, without the option to turn off the autoplay function, according to the complaint.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement: “Challenges are campaigns that encourage users to create and post certain types of videos on TikTok, such as a video of a user performing a certain dance routine or a dangerous prank. Challenge videos are a cornerstone of the platform and are among the most popular videos on the platform. Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok. TikTok claims that their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from true. 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.”
Along with New York, attorneys general from California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C. filed suits in their own jurisdictions.
TikTok said it will fight against the lawsuits, sharing a statement: “We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. We’re proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve doneto protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product … We’ve endeavored to work with the attorneys general for over two years and it is incredibly disappointing they have taken this step rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges.”
TikTok is also fighting a potential ban that was signed into law earlier this year by President Biden, and is also facing charges from various states and children’s advocates about privacy issues and their impact on kids and young adults.
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