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TikTok has a mess on its hands. The app is the subject of 14 new lawsuits filed on Tuesday by a coalition of state attorneys general. They allege that TikTok harms teens’ mental health with addictive features and also harvests their data without obtaining parental consent.
Led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James, the states’ complaints are sweeping. They say that TikTok violates consumer protection laws by “misleading” users about the efficacy of its time limit and content safety features for users under 18. The litany of complaints also dig into the app for “failing to warn young users about the dangers of its beauty filter” and “misrepresenting that its platform is not directed toward children,” per a joint statement from Bonta and James.
The same statement alleges that TikTok violates the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, also known as COPPA, by “actively” monetizing data on users younger than 13 years old. Google and Twitter (now X) have faced somewhat similar complaints.
TikTok features described by the officials as addictive include the app’s “around-the-clock notifications” and “endless stream of videos that manipulates users into compulsively spending more time on the platform with no option to disable Autoplay.”
In a CNBC interview, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb called the app “digital nicotine” and said the company was “intentionally trying to addict young people to its platform.” D.C.’s lawsuit additionally calls out TikTok’s built-in “Coins,” reportedly describing the system as “an unlicensed virtual currency.”
Reached by Gizmodo over email, TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said the company disagrees with the lawsuits’ claims, “many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading.” Hughes went on to say that TikTok has “endeavored to work with the Attorneys General for over two years.” The spokesperson criticized them for suing rather than “work[ing] with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges.”
While complaints filed on Tuesday focus on TikTok, a statement from New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin argued that Meta has also “purposely” created features to keep kids glued to their devices for “ever-increasing amounts of time.” Platkin said Meta’s behavior was “similar” to TikTok’s in that regard and cited a separate complaint against Meta recently filed by the state.
TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, is simultaneously fighting the U.S. government over a law that requires the company to either sell the app or face a ban. TikTok has argued the law is unconstitutional and circumvents free speech.
The U.S. Department of Justice has also recently taken aim at TikTok, alleging in a separate complaint that TikTok gathers young kids’ private information without parental consent.
