NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: TikTok faces new lawsuits filed by 13 US states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday, 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, expand Chinese-owned TikTok’s legal fight with US regulators, and seek new financial penalties against the company.
The states accuse TikTok of using intentionally addictive software designed to keep children watching as long and often as possible and misrepresenting its content moderation effectiveness.
“TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.” TikTok seeks to maximize the amount of time users spend on the app in order to target 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.
TikTok said last week it strongly disagrees with allegations it fails to protect children, saying “in fact, we offer robust safeguards for teens and parents.”
Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb alleged TikTok operates an unlicensed money transmission business through its live streaming and virtual currency features.
“TikTok’s platform is dangerous by design. It’s an intentionally addictive product that is designed to get young people addicted to their screens,” Schwalb said in an interview
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