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Attorney-Generals across the United States have filed lawsuits on Tuesday against Social media platform, TikTok, alleging that the platform has become an addiction to young people, harming their mental health in the process.
The suit cited various elements of the platform including its endlessly scrolling feed of content, TikTok “challenge” videos that sometimes encourage users to engage in risky behaviour and late-night push notifications, as harmful features to kids.
The lawsuits stem from a national investigation into TikTok, which was launched in March 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from many states, including California, Kentucky and New Jersey. All of the complaints were filed in state courts.
It marks the latest legal pressure facing TikTok, which is also battling a law that could see it banned in the United States as soon as next year, a lawsuit from the US Justice Department alleging the platform unlawfully collected children’s data and several state actions.
In June, New York’s governor also signed into law a bill to regulate social media algorithms; for example, it will require platforms to display content in chronological order to users under the age of 18, which could force TikTok to overhaul how it operates.
TikTok’s spokesperson, Alex Haurek, reacting to the suit, insisted that the platform has done nothing wrong, insisting that the platform is not harmful to kids as it offers safety features such as default screen time limits for young users and optional parental oversight tools.
Haurek said, “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 done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product. We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features.”
“We have endeavoured 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 industry-wide challenges.”
However, the group of states involved in Tuesday’s action claim TikTok is not doing enough.
“TikTok’s underlying business model focuses on maximising young users’ time on the platform so the company can boost revenue from selling targeted ads,” the attorneys general said in a statement.
“TikTok uses an addictive, content-recommendation system designed to keep minors on the platform as long as possible and as often as possible, despite the dangers of compulsive use.”
The complaint filed by James alleges that TikTok “knows that compulsive use of and other harmful effects of its platform are wreaking havoc on the mental health of millions of American children and teenagers.”
It also states that, “TikTok considers users under the age of 13 to be a critical demographic,” despite saying it allows only users 13 and older on the platform.
The complaint references internal TikTok documents, although it is heavily redacted.
James alleges that the platform’s focus on “profits over safety has make TikTok extremely profitable,” noting that TikTok’s 2023 US revenue reached $16 billion, according to the complaint.
The complaint also cites a Harvard study that claimed TikTok earned $2 billion in ad revenue in 2022 from US teens aged 13 to 17.
TikTok’s so-called beauty filters – which manipulate users’ images, often by making them appear thinner or as if they are wearing makeup – can “encourage unhealthy, negative social comparison, body image issues, and related mental and physical health disorders” by creating “an impossible standard” for teens, the complaint alleges.
The lawsuit seeks financial penalties against TikTok, including a requirement that the platform repay any profits it received from ads directed to New York teens or pre-teens.
