Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, along with a bipartisan group of 21 other attorneys general, has requested a Tennessee court to enforce orders compelling TikTok to comply with an ongoing multistate consumer protection investigation. The coalition seeks the preservation and production of evidence from TikTok.
The investigation, initiated in 2022, aims to determine if TikTok is violating state consumer protection laws and contributing to mental health issues among children and teens. Several states have sought information regarding TikTok's business practices.
Despite previous court orders for TikTok to produce documents and witnesses, the company has not fully complied. The current request involves text messages from executives and Trust & Safety Communications personnel, as well as information on evidence destruction related to chat deletions on TikTok’s Lark system.
Attorney General Ellison and his colleagues filed an amicus brief supporting Tennessee's efforts to ensure compliance. They argue that failure to preserve evidence hampers the investigation and could set a precedent for corporations under scrutiny to destroy relevant materials.
“TikTok’s failure to preserve and produce evidence, in defiance of a court order, is outrageous,” said Attorney General Ellison. He emphasized the importance of protecting young people's mental health and urged the court for action.
In addition, 13 states plus the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against TikTok over alleged deception about app safety. These actions are part of broader efforts by Attorney General Ellison's office, which recently sought outside counsel for litigation related to social media harm.
Joining Minnesota in this legal effort are attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Dakota Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
This move follows previous actions by Attorney General Ellison targeting social media companies over their impact on youth mental health. In October 2023 he sued Meta for designing addictive features aimed at children Teens Additionally February 2024 his office released report detailing negative effects emerging technologies like social media AI have on young people
The Minnesota legislature used findings from this report when drafting Prohibiting Social Media Manipulation Act effective July 1st next year This act mandates disclosure key information by platforms empowers enforcement noncompliance
Minnesotans are encouraged share experiences harms caused these platforms through online form or contact Attorney Generals Office directly