13 states, D.C. sue TikTok over alleged addictiveness

Several states filed suit against TikTok claiming that the video app hurt the mental health of kids by making it addictive to them.

The Associated Press reported the lawsuits come from an investigation by a coalition of attorneys general from several states that found that the app’s algorithm tailors content through the “For You” feed. The feed allows users to scroll through content with no end. The app also sends push notifications which come with built-in “buzzes” and have face filters that provide images with unattainable appearances.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James led the filings.

Bonta said that the app was designed “to feed on young users’ particular affinity for excessive use,” The Washington Post reported.

Washington, D.C.’s filing called the algorithm “dopamine-inducing” alleging that the programming was created to be addictive to keep young users on it for hours with TikTok knowing that the addiction will lead to “profound psychological and physiological harms” like depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia.

TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek, told the Post in a statement, “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.”

Haurek said TikTok had “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,” CNN reported.

As users stay on the app, TikTok generates “massive ad revenue,” District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said, “But unfortunately, that’s also how they generate adverse mental health impacts of the users.”

TikTok technically does not allow children under the age of 13 to sign up for the main app. Instead, it created a “TikTok for Younger Users” that added “additional safety and privacy protections designed specifically for an audience that is under 13 years old,” the company states on its website.

“TikTok for Younger Users allows us to split users into age-appropriate TikTok environments, in line with FTC guidance for mixed audience apps. Users enter the appropriate app experience after passing through an age-gate when they register for a TikTok account,” the company added.

It also blocks some content for those under 18 but several attorneys general said in the filings that the safeguards can be easily bypassed and that children access the content as adults, the AP reported.

The Justice Department filed a separate lawsuit against TikTok claiming the company collects data on millions of users under the age of 13.

President Joe Biden also signed a law to ban or force the sale of TikTok by its Chinese parent company ByteDance, the Post reported. Lawmakers said in the crafting of the bill that the app could be used by the Chinese government to surveil or influence operations of the U.S., the Post reported. TikTok is fighting the bill saying it violates the free speech of users in the U.S.

If upheld, the company has until Jan. 19 to split from ByteDance or be banned in the U.S.

This was the second time states banded together to file several lawsuits against a social media company, The Washington Post reported. States sued Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, last year over similar mental health concerns.

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