Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the social media giant of misleadingly promoting its app as safe for children. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok misrepresented the frequency and severity of inappropriate content accessible to minors on its platform.
According to the lawsuit, TikTok claimed that explicit material such as drugs, nudity, alcohol, and profanity was "infrequent" and "mild." However, an investigation revealed that such content is readily available to young users. Attorney General Paxton stated, "TikTok actively worked to deceive parents and lure children onto their app despite the presence of an overwhelming amount of profane and illicit material."
Paxton emphasized that companies should not compromise the health and wellbeing of Texas children by providing false information about their products. This legal action follows a previous lawsuit filed by Paxton against TikTok for allegedly violating the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act. The earlier suit accused TikTok of operating in a way that endangered the online safety and privacy of Texas children.
For more details on the filing, additional information can be accessed through official channels.