States sue TikTok, saying its addictive features hook children
Oct. 8, 2024 — More than a dozen states are filing lawsuits Tuesday accusing TikTok of harming the well-being of children by using addictive product features that keep them hooked on the platform, in a bipartisan salvo that amplifies the company’s legal perils as it tries to stave off a federal ban.
Attorneys general from 13 states and the District of Columbia are alleging in a series of lawsuits that TikTok violated local consumer protection laws by designing its wildly popular video-sharing app in ways that lead to compulsive use, exposing young users to mental and physical risk. And they claim the company, which is owned by China-based tech giant ByteDance, has misled the public about how safe its platform is for children.