TikTok Sued by 13 U.S. States

By Jody Godoy and David Shepardson

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – TikTok faces new lawsuits filed by 13 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 allege.

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

TikTok responded, expressing strong disagreement with the claims, stating many are "inaccurate and misleading." The company expressed disappointment that the states chose to sue instead of collaborating on solutions to industry-wide challenges. TikTok points to safety features like default screentime limits and privacy settings for minors under 16.

Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb alleged that 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.

'VIRTUAL STRIP CLUB WITH NO AGE RESTRICTIONS'

Washington's lawsuit accused TikTok of facilitating the sexual exploitation of underage users, describing TikTok’s live features and virtual currency as operating "like a virtual strip club with no age restrictions."

Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington state also filed lawsuits on Tuesday.

In March 2022, eight states, including California and Massachusetts, launched a nationwide probe into TikTok's impacts on young people.

The U.S. Justice Department sued TikTok in August for allegedly failing to protect children's privacy on the app. Other states, including Utah and Texas, have previously sued TikTok for failing to protect children from harm. TikTok rejected these allegations in a court filing sent Monday.

TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance is also battling a U.S. law that could ban the app in the United States.