Attorneys general in fourteen U.S. states filed a lawsuit against TikTok on Tuesday, accusing the platform of harming the mental health of its minor users and collecting personal data without consent.
The attorneys general specifically criticize the platform for “using addictive features to entice users to stay longer, leading to negative consequences on their mental health,” according to a joint statement.
They pointed to several issues, including constant notifications and consecutive video content or “attention-grabbing material.”
A TikTok spokesperson responded to AFP, stating, “We deny the claims,” and described the decision to file a lawsuit “instead of working with us on constructive solutions to challenges facing the entire industry” as “disappointing.”
In addition to California and New York, the lawsuit includes attorneys general from Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Louisiana, the District of Columbia that encompasses Washington, D.C., Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington state.
Similar proceedings were initiated in Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Arkansas.
Additionally, Texas began legal action last week against the company owned by the Chinese group ByteDance, accused of selling personal data of minor users.
The U.S. Consumer Protection Agency notified the Department of Justice in June about suspected violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which was enacted in 1998.
