TikTok Faces New Lawsuits Over Alleged Harm to Young Users in the U.S.

TikTok is facing a wave of new lawsuits filed on Tuesday by 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, accusing the social media platform of causing harm to young users and failing to protect them adequately. The lawsuits, filed separately in states including New York, California, and Washington, D.C., further escalate TikTok’s legal battles with U.S. regulators.

The lawsuits claim that TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, intentionally uses addictive software aimed at keeping children and teenagers engaged for as long as possible. The platform is also accused of misrepresenting the effectiveness of its content moderation and failing to safeguard young users.

“TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “It targets children because they don’t have the capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.”

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

TikTok, however, rejected the allegations, stating that it “strongly disagreed” with the claims and was disappointed that the states chose to sue rather than collaborate on industrywide solutions. The company emphasized that it provides safety features like default screentime limits and privacy settings for minors under 16.

In addition, Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb accused TikTok of operating an unlicensed money transmission business through its livestreaming and virtual currency features, which he said facilitated the sexual exploitation of underage users. He described TikTok as “an intentionally addictive product designed to get young people hooked on their screens.”

States joining the lawsuits include Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Oregon, among others. These lawsuits add to a growing number of legal actions against TikTok, including a nationwide investigation launched by eight states in 2022 and a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit in August over privacy concerns for children.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is also battling a potential U.S. ban on the app amid broader concerns over data privacy and national security.