TikTok sued by more than a dozen states over alleged addictive algorithm

TikTok’s already long list of legal problems continues: Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have filed new lawsuits alleging that its “addictive algorithm” is part of a profit model that harms children.

The lawsuit, filed separately by each party on Tuesday, accuses TikTok of falsely advertising its platform’s content moderation and safety policies to minors. Through the intentionally addictive software, the lawsuit alleges, children are encouraged to continue watching videos for as long as possible, resulting in poor mental health and body image issues, as well as harm from viral TikTok challenges.

As New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement: “TikTok claims their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from the truth. In New York and across the country, young people have died or been injured during dangerous TikTok challenges. and many more people are feeling sadder, more anxious, and more depressed because of TikTok’s addictive properties.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote that a state investigation found that “TikTok cultivates social media addiction to increase corporate profits.” The platform “intentionally targets children,” Bonta says, “because they know children don’t yet have the defenses or ability to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.”

The Washington DC filing also accuses the company of operating an unlicensed money transmission business through livestreaming and virtual currency features. Reuters reported, which also facilitate the sexual exploitation of underage users. Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington state have also filed suit against TikTok.

Just a few days earlier, the state of Texas announced its own lawsuit against the Chinese social media giant, accusing the platform of violating the state’s Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act by failing to provide proper privacy settings for small accounts and to advertise for them. without distinction. In August, the U.S. Department of Justice sued TikTok for allegedly violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires websites to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13.

These filings are the latest legal blow to the social media platform, following a 2022 report and subsequent investigation into the company’s knowledge and complicity in promoting an unhealthy online environment for young people.

Other social media sites have also come under fire for endangering the mental health and safety of their users. Last week, New Mexico filed a lawsuit against Snap (Snapchat), accusing the company of deceptively marketing its platform to children despite known problems of grooming and sex scams targeting minors. The state has taken similar action against several other websites. Meta (Instagram, Facebook) has also endured several lawsuits, including ones directly involving CEO Mark Zuckerberg.