Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has initiated legal action against TikTok Inc. and its parent company, ByteDance Inc., filing a lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of exploiting children by addicting them to harmful content and issuing misleading claims about the platform's safety.
The lawsuit focuses on the deleterious effects TikTok allegedly has on the mental health of young users, emphasizing the risks associated with the platform's algorithm, which is said to expose minors to harmful content like depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and dangerous challenges. "'TikTok preys on young people, feeding them dangerous and damaging content while lying to parents about how safe the app really is," stated Attorney General Marshall. He criticized TikTok's safety features as ineffective, claiming they are "nothing more than a marketing ploy."
The lawsuit outlines concerns about TikTok's ownership by ByteDance, a Chinese company. The Attorney General expressed that TikTok, under ByteDance’s control, is engaged in collecting significant amounts of data on American users, leading to issues regarding data privacy and potential exploitation.
Attorney General Marshall emphasized the potential risks of data sharing obligations under Chinese law, stating, "TikTok and ByteDance are knowingly committing espionage against Americans' personal information, and they are exploiting our children specifically."
The legal action seeks civil penalties under Alabama's Deceptive Trade Practices Act, along with compensatory and punitive damages for the state. It also aims for injunctive relief to prevent the continuation of TikTok's allegedly deceptive practices in terms of youth safety.