More than a dozen states, along with D.C., are finally suing TikTok, claiming the app is harming kids' mental health by curating a platform that is addictive and exposes young teens to inappropriate content.
The lawsuits come from a nationwide investigation that kicked off in March 2022, led by a bipartisan group of attorneys general from states like New York, California, Kentucky, and New Jersey. The cases were all filed in state courts.
TikTok's algorithm is at the center of the lawsuits, which customizes the "For You" feed based on users' interests.
The suits also point to features that hook kids, like endless scrolling, push notifications with built-in buzzes, and face filters that create unrealistic beauty standards.
D.C. called TikTok's algorithm "dopamine-inducing" and claimed it was designed to be addictive on purpose, keeping kids glued to the app for hours.
According to the complaint, TikTok knows this can lead to "profound psychological and physiological harms," like anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, and other long-term issues, but it does it anyway to trap young users.
Even though TikTok says kids under 13 can't sign up for its main app and that it restricts some content for users under 18, Washington and several other states argue that kids can easily get around those rules.
New York Attorney General Letitia James says that despite the platform's claim to be safe for children, kids can easily gain full access to the adult version of the app.
TikTok claims that it is safe for young people, but that is far from true.
In New York and across the country, young people have died or gotten injured doing dangerous TikTok challenges and many more are feeling more sad, anxious, and depressed because of TikTok's addictive features.
Officials claim that TikTok's LIVE streaming feature often leads to teens being exploited for sexually explicit content, basically turning the app into a "virtual strip club" with no age restrictions. They also argue that TikTok profits from this exploitation by taking a cut from the financial transactions.
Another accusation in the lawsuit is that TikTok runs an "unlicensed virtual economy" by letting users buy TikTok Coins (the app's virtual currency) and send "Gifts" to streamers on TikTok LIVE, which can be cashed out for real money.
The complaint says TikTok takes a 50% cut from these transactions but hasn't registered as a money transmitter with the U.S. Treasury or local authorities.
The 14 attorneys general say they're out to stop TikTok from using these addictive features, hit the company with some serious fines for its shady practices, and get compensation for users who've been caught in the crossfire.
All that shadiness is finally starting to catch up with the platform.
Thanks to a new federal law, the app could get the boot from the U.S. by mid-January if its China-based parent company, ByteDance, doesn't sell it off.
Both TikTok and ByteDance are fighting the law in a Washington appeals court. A panel of three judges already heard arguments last month, and now we're all just waiting to see what they decide.
If things don't go TikTok's way, it could end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
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