TikTok was sued Tuesday by 14 attorneys general who allege the social media platform is misleading the public about its safety. The app, they say, is harming children’s mental health, with some kids getting injured or even dying because of TikTok’s viral “challenges.”
The lawsuits, filed Tuesday, also claim that TikTok relies on “addictive features” that keep users glued to its platform, which in turn can hurt their mental health. These features include notifications that can harm kids’ sleep patterns and video autoplay that encourages users to spend more time on the platform, without the option to turn off the autoplay function, according to the complaint.
“We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. We’re proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
“We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features such as default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16,” the spokesperson said, adding, “We’ve endeavored to work with the Attorneys General for over two years, and it is incredibly disappointing they have taken this step rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges.”
The lawsuits add to other challenges facing TikTok, which is also fighting a potential ban that was signed into law earlier this year by President Joe Biden. The law, which the social media service has argued is unconstitutional and should be overturned, would require TikTok’s owner, the China-based company ByteDance, to either divest the business or face a ban of the service within the U.S.
At the same time, TikTok is also facing charges from various states and children’s advocates about privacy issues and their impact on kids and young adults.
In the October 8 lawsuits, the attorneys general cite TikTok’s popular “challenges” as harmful to children, promoting dangerous behaviors that have caused injuries, some fatal.
“Challenges are campaigns that encourage users to create and post certain types of videos on TikTok, such as a video of a user performing a certain dance routine or a dangerous prank,” alleges the lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James. “Challenge videos are a cornerstone of the platform and are among the most popular videos on the platform.”
The lawsuit added, “Numerous teen users have injured or even killed themselves or others participating in viral pranks to obtain rewards and increase their number of ‘likes,’ views, and followers, a foreseeable consequence of TikTok’s engagement-maximizing design.”
In one case, a 15-year-old boy died in Manhattan while subway surfing, a trend where people ride on top of a moving subway car. The lawsuit notes that his mother found TikTok videos about subway surfing in his account after he had died.
The attorneys general who are suing TikTok represent the following states and district:
- California
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Vermont
- Washington
- District of Columbia
Each attorney general filed a lawsuit in their own jurisdiction.
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
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