Thirteen states have sued the social media app TikTok over claims that it is negatively affecting children’s mental health.
The lawsuit, started by 14 attorney generals in the United States, alleges that TikTok is violating numerous consumer protection laws by targeting young users with harmful videos and content. The states involved in the lawsuit include New York, California, Kentucky, and Washington D.C.
This is not the first time the app has been in legal trouble, though. Earlier this year, the United States government passed a law that would ban TikTok if it is not sold within a year. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has yet to sell the app and is continuing to try to fight the decision.
One claim in the lawsuit is that TikTok is marketing its app as safe for users under 18, which the states believe to be untrue. According to CNN, one of the attorney generals stated that 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 lawsuit also alleges that the app’s ‘beauty filters,’ which are used to alter the appearance of those who use them, are harming young people’s mental health by creating unrealistic standards of beauty.
According to BBC, TikTok says the lawsuit’s claims are “inaccurate and misleading.” TikTok has also defended itself, claiming that the app has many safety measures to protect users under 18 and that children’s app use should be the parents’ responsibility rather than TikTok. Nonetheless, those conducting the lawsuit claim these efforts are insufficient and fail to protect their audience efficiently.
The lawsuit also claims to want financial penalties against TikTok. Specifically, for New York, this would entail requiring the app to pay the state any money earned from advertisements directed at teens and children in New York.
Kentucky, another state suing TikTok, requested that the court look into TikTok’s violation of the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act. According to Louisville Public Media, the state is demanding $2,000 for every violation.
The lawsuit against TikTok is still in its early stages, but this legal action could potentially just be the beginning of a much larger movement focusing on social media companies and their effects on teens’ and children’s mental health.