Attorney General Chris Carr has joined a bipartisan group of 22 attorneys general to urge a Tennessee court to enforce its orders requiring TikTok to preserve and produce evidence in an ongoing investigation. This multistate probe, initiated in 2022, aims to determine if TikTok is violating state consumer protection laws and impacting the mental health of children and teens.
"When it comes to social media, we’re working to protect our children from content that could prove harmful to their physical or mental health," said Carr. "With the assistance of our fellow attorneys general, we’re committed to conducting a thorough investigation of TikTok’s practices so we can ensure the rule of law is upheld and our kids are kept safe."
Several states, including Georgia, have requested information about TikTok's business practices. When TikTok did not provide the requested information last year, Georgia and 45 other states supported Tennessee's enforcement action in court. The court has twice ordered TikTok to provide documents and witnesses for deposition, but compliance remains incomplete.
The brief highlights that TikTok's failure to preserve evidence and provide information in a usable format is hindering the investigation. It stresses that a resolution from the court is essential; without it, companies may be emboldened to destroy evidence, which would hinder states' abilities to protect residents.
While litigation proceeds, the states involved will continue investigating TikTok's conduct and potential violations of consumer protection laws. These efforts aim to hold TikTok accountable for any role it plays in affecting youth mental health.
Joining Carr in this brief are attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.