Various States Join TikTok Lawsuit Agreement, Declaring App Equivalent to 'Digital Nicotine' Addiction
TikTok's in deep water right now. The social media platform finds itself in the crosshairs of a coalition of state attorneys general who have filed a whopping 14 lawsuits on Tuesday. The accusations? TikTok does a number on teenagers' mental health through addictive features, and secretly gathers their data without the necessary parental consent.
At the helm of this legal storm are California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Their charges are extensive. They claim that TikTok deceives users, especially those under 18, about the effectiveness of its time limit and content safety features. The litany of complaints doesn't stop there. They also accuse the app of failing to warn young users about the risks associated with its beauty filters, misrepresenting that it's not intended for children, and violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by monetizing data from users under 13.
In a joint statement, Bonta and James call out TikTok for its "around-the-clock notifications" and "endless stream of videos that manipulate users into spending inordinate amounts of time on the platform, with no option to disable Autoplay." In a conversation with CNBC, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb labels the app as "digital nicotine" and alleges that TikTok intentionally tries to hook young people on its platform. D.C.'s lawsuit further criticizes TikTok's built-in "Coins," describing it as an "unlicensed virtual currency."
When reached for comment by Gizmodo, TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes admitted to disagreement with the lawsuit's claims, stating that many of them are inaccurate and misleading. Hughes points out that TikTok has attempted to collaborate with the Attorneys General for over two years, but instead faces litigation without constructive dialogue.
While the focus is on TikTok, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has also taken aim at Meta, accusing them of deliberately designing features to keep kids captivated on their devices for increasingly longer periods. Platkin argues that Meta's tactics resemble those of TikTok.
Besides these legal battles, TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, is locked in a struggle with the U.S. government over a law mandating the company to either sell the app or face a ban. TikTok argues that the law is unconstitutional and circumvents freedom of speech.
The U.S. Department of Justice has also set its sights on TikTok, alleging in a separate complaint that the platform collects young children's private information without parental consent.
- The coalition of state attorneys general, including California's Rob Bonta and New York's Letitia James, accuse TikTok of misrepresenting its time limit and content safety features to younger users, especially those under 18.
- TikTok's failure to warn young users about the risks associated with its beauty filters, claims of not being intended for children, and COPPA violations by monetizing data from users under 13 are part of the extensive charges against the social media platform.
- In a joint statement, Bonta and James call out TikTok's "around-the-clock notifications" and "endless stream of videos that manipulate users into spending inordinate amounts of time on the platform," likening it to "digital nicotine."
- The U.S. Department of Justice also alleges that TikTok collects young children's private information without parental consent, adding to the ongoing legal battles and controversies surrounding the tech company.
