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New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a bipartisan coalition of around a dozen state attorneys is filing lawsuits against TikTok in a Tuesday morning press release. The lawsuit claims the platform is addictive and harmful to children.

James and Rob Bonta, the California attorney general, led the litigation efforts. The participants, including 13 states and the District of Columbia, are filing suit in their respective jurisdictions.

The New York lawsuit claims TikTok’s algorithm and “For You” page are designed to “maximize young users’ time” and promote compulsive use without sufficient safety protections for minors. It also alleges that some of TikTok’s features, including the platform’s beauty filters, have negative effects on childrens’ mental health.

“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,” James said in Tuesday’s release.

TikTok has previously faced legal struggles with the United States government, primarily regarding its algorithm and its Chinese ownership. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed a bill that gave the platform’s parent company, ByteDance, 270 days to sell the app due to its connection with the Chinese government.

TikTok and ByteDance both challenged the decision last month and are now awaiting a ruling, according to The New York Times.

The issue arose during the second New York 22nd congressional district debate Tuesday night. State Sen. John Mannion and incumbent Rep. Brandon Williams both stated during the debate that they supported placing increased regulations on Tik Tok. Williams emphasized the national security concerns associated with the app, while Mannion highlighted its potential impacts on childhood development.

The lawsuit also claims that TikTok features foster addictive behavior. It specifically highlights the app’s push notification system, which has the potential to interrupt sleep patterns for younger users, and its ability to create an “endless stream” of videos that dominate user’s attention.

A 2023 Pew Research Center study found that 63% of teenagers use TikTok and 58% use it daily, including 17% who use TikTok almost constantly.

Ilana Zahavy | Design Editor

“TikTok continually misrepresents its platform as ‘safe,’ ‘appropriate for children and teenagers,’ and that safety is its ‘top priority,’” the lawsuit reads. “It also misrepresents the effectiveness of built-in features designed to combat addictive use and harms, including parental controls, community standards, and age verification.”

James’ mention of physical safety concerns associated with the app highlight the lawsuit’s inclusion of the “Kia challenge,” a viral TikTok trend in which users demonstrated how to hack the ignition of Hyundai and Kia car models to steal them. Another challenge, called “subway surfing,” entailed viewers riding on the top of moving subway cars. Subway surfing has caused multiple deaths throughout New York state.

Studies included in the lawsuit also found the app’s beauty filters and “likes” system endanger users’ mental health, as they reportedly cause a decrease in mental wellbeing and self-confidence, primarily among young girls.

In addition to safety and mental health concerns, the lawsuit also claims TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires companies to obtain parental consent before using children’s data. Tuesday’s release states the platform monetizes data of those under 13 years old, which violates the federal law.

“TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content,” Bonta said in the release.

The lawsuit also states that TikTok’s claims that the platform is not directed to children are false. The app includes features such as a 60-minute screen time limit, a “restricted” mode and an age minimum.

A TikTok spokesperson told CBS News that the platform denies these claims, calling them “inaccurate and misleading.”

Published on October 9, 2024 at 12:50 am

Contact Zaara: zamalik@syr.edu