California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James have spearheaded a coalition of 14 attorneys general in filing lawsuits against TikTok, accusing the platform of violating state consumer protection laws. The legal actions, filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court, allege that TikTok exploits young users and misleads the public about its dangers. The lawsuits seek penalties and other forms of relief to address the alleged misconduct.
Attorney General Bonta stated, "Our investigation has revealed that TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits. TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content." He emphasized the impact on youth mental health, saying, "Our children and teens never stood a chance against these social media behemoths."
New York Attorney General Letitia James echoed these concerns: "Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok," she said. She noted incidents where young people were harmed by participating in dangerous challenges on the platform.
A Pew Research survey from 2023 indicated that 63% of Americans aged 13 to 17 used TikTok, with many using it daily. The lawsuit claims that TikTok's business model focuses on maximizing user time for advertising revenue through features designed to be addictive.
The complaint outlines several specific practices allegedly employed by TikTok:
- Content recommendation systems aimed at keeping minors engaged.
- Manipulative features exploiting children's psychological vulnerabilities.
- Beauty filters contributing to unrealistic beauty standards.
- Autoplay and endless scrolling features reducing user autonomy.
- Temporary content encouraging compulsive engagement due to fear of missing out.
- Push notifications designed to retain users' attention.
- Emphasis on likes as a form of social validation.
Additionally, the lawsuit accuses TikTok of collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent.
Joining Attorneys General Bonta and James are representatives from Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. A total of 23 attorneys general have taken action against TikTok regarding its impact on youth mental health.
Attorney General Bonta has been active in addressing social media's effects on youth mental health. In March 2022 he launched an investigation into TikTok; by March 2023 he filed an amicus brief demanding compliance with state investigations. He also co-led a federal lawsuit against Meta over similar issues last year.