DC, 13 states sue TikTok, claiming it’s harmful to children – NBC4 Washington

Washington, D.C. and more than a dozen states filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, claiming the popular short-form video app is harming the mental health of young people by designing the platform to be addictive to children.

“Our lawsuit seeks to hold TikTok accountable for harming DC children,” DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in an interview with CNBC.

The lawsuits stem from a national investigation into TikTok, which was launched in March 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from D.C. and many states, including California, Kentucky and New Jersey. All complaints were filed in state courts.

At the heart of each lawsuit is TikTok’s algorithm, which determines what users see on the platform by populating the app’s main “For You” feed with content tailored to people’s interests. The lawsuits also highlight design features that they say are getting kids hooked on the platform, such as the ability to endlessly scroll through content, push notifications with built-in “buzzes” and face filters that create the appearance of being unreachable for users.

Schwalb’s lawsuit alleges that teens and children face a host of “profound” mental health risks from compulsive TikTok use, including depression, anxiety, sleep loss and body dysmorphia.

Schwalb called the app “digital nicotine” and said TikTok is “intentionally trying to engage young people on its platform.”

He said the app is “causing enormous harm to an entire generation of young people.”

“In addition to prioritizing profits over children’s health, TikTok’s unregulated and illegal virtual economy allows the darkest, most depraved corners of society to prey on vulnerable victims,” Schwalb said. “The company knows what is happening and has chosen to ignore it. This lawsuit seeks to put an end to its illegal, deceptive and predatory conduct.”

More than half of young people between 13 and 17 years old in the US use the app. TikTok has more than a billion active users worldwide.

Schwalb’s lawsuit, which alleges violations of D.C. consumer protection laws, accuses TikTok of “using algorithms and manipulative design features” to engage young users by causing bursts of dopamine to their impressionable brains.

“TikTok knows that its design features make its app addictive and keep users engaged for longer,” the lawsuit in DC Superior Court alleges.

“While this may be good for business, it has dangerous consequences for children.”

The complaint also states that the company introduced “two new dangerous features” in 2019: a livestreaming feature called TikTok LIVE and a virtual currency system called TikTok “Coins.”

“TikTok is notable for its use of coins – an unlicensed virtual currency,” the complaint alleges. “Users purchase coins to send virtual ‘gifts’ during LIVE sessions, which streamers can cash out for real money. TikTok incentivizes users to go LIVE by promising these monetary rewards ‘the more popular (their) content becomes.'”

The lawsuit says TikTok “generates substantial revenue” from its coins, charging commissions of up to 50% on each transaction.

The app’s virtual currency cash-in and cash-out process is “a virtual money transfer system” that ignores D.C. law by failing to obtain a required money transfer license, the complaint alleges.

And “While LIVE, including both live streaming and Gifts, currently has a minimum age requirement of 18 and older, TikTok knows that its lax age verification measures encourage U.S. minors to lie about their age to gain access,” Schwalb claims.

The complaint also alleges that LIVE’s design, including coins and gifts, “enables other serious harms to minors, including sexual exploitation.”

“TikTok is fully aware that these features together create an environment where children are often sexually exploited by users, but has chosen to turn a blind eye in favor of increasing profitability,” Schwalb’s office said in a statement press release.

TikTok’s US headquarters are in Los Angeles, but it has a significant lobbying presence and an office in Washington, D.C.

The company recently announced a partnership with the NHL hockey team Washington Capitals to place TikTok’s logo on road game jerseys for the upcoming season, the suit notes.

The lawsuit asks that TikTok be permanently barred from violating consumer protection laws and ordered to pay restitution to users, along with civil penalties.

Read more about the lawsuit here.