TikTok Sued 13 US States And Washington DC, Accused Of Harming Young Users

California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Accused TikTok of harming children (photo: @AGRobBonta)

JAKARTA - TikTok is again facing lawsuits, this time out of 13 US and Washington DC states on Tuesday, October 8, on charges that the popular social media platform is detrimental and fails to protect young users.

The lawsuit was filed separately in New York, California, Washington DC, and 11 other states, expanding TikTok's legal battle with US regulators, seeking to impose new financial sanctions on the company.

The states accuse TikTok of using intentionally designed software to be addictive, with the aim of making children spend more time on the app. In addition, TikTok is accused of not being transparent about the effectiveness of content moderation.

"TikTok encourages social media addiction for the benefit of the company," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. "TikTok deliberately targets children because they know that children do not yet have the ability to set healthy limits on addictive content."

New York's Attorney General, Letitia James, added that social media such as TikTok have affected children's mental health, causing them to get caught up in disturbing content. TikTok denies the allegations, stating that its platform offers strong protection for teens and parents.

In addition, Washington DC Attorney General Brian Schwab accused TikTok of running a money transfer business without permission through its live streaming feature and virtual currency. TikTok is also accused of facilitating sexual exploitation of underage users.

Other states that have contested include Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington. Previously, in March 2022, eight states, including California and Massachusetts, launched a national investigation into the impact of TikTok on young people.

TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is also facing a possible ban in the US under a law proposed by the Joe Biden administration.