Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed to change TikTok’s app store age rating to protect kids while the office’s lawsuit continues.
In January, Attorney General Bird sued TikTok for deceiving parents by lying about children’s widespread access to explicit videos on its social media app. The lawsuit makes the case that TikTok is violating App Store guidelines by claiming a “12+” age rating, despite containing frequent and intense adult material such as sexual content, profanity, self-harm, drugs, and binge-drinking. The temporary injunction will require TikTok to change its App Store age rating to “17+” while the lawsuit is ongoing.
“It’s past time for TikTok to be honest with parents,” said Attorney General Bird. “As a mom and prosecutor, I am deeply disturbed by TikTok’s lying to parents and recommending explicit videos to kids, including videos packed with sexual content and self-harm. That’s why I’m taking action to make TikTok raise its App Store age rating to ‘17+.’ I will do everything in my power to stop TikTok’s deception and keep kids safe online.”
TikTok’s deception violates the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. The lawsuit aims to stop TikTok from misleading parents and users about the availability of inappropriate videos on the app. It also challenges TikTok’s misleading statements about TikTok’s parental controls, both in the platform’s Community Guidelines and in the Google and Microsoft app stores.
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