TikTok is facing new lawsuits from 13 US states accusing the app of harming young people

TikTok faces new lawsuits Tuesday filed by 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, accusing the popular social media platform of harming and failing to protect young people.

The lawsuits, filed separately in New York, California, the District of Columbia and 11 other states, extend Chinese TikTok’s legal battle with U.S. regulators and demand new financial sanctions against the company.

The states accuse TikTok of deliberately using addictive software designed to keep children watching as long and as often as possible, and misrepresenting the effectiveness of content moderation.

“TikTok cultivates social media addiction to increase corporate profits,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “TikTok intentionally targets children because they know children don’t yet have the defenses or ability to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.”

TikTok tries to maximize the amount of time users spend on the app by targeting them with ads, the states say.

“Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.