Attorneys general of 14 US states filed a lawsuit against the short video service TikTok. The platform is accused of harming the psychological health of minors, as well as misleading users about how safe the service is. The group of plaintiffs was led by prosecutors Letitia James from New York and Rob Bonta from California.
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«Our investigation found that TikTok is developing an addiction to social media to boost corporate profits. TikTok deliberately targets children because they know that children do not yet have the defenses or ability to create healthy boundaries around addictive content,” Bonta said. He also added that the current lawsuit was part of an effort “to protect young people and help combat the nationwide youth mental health crisis.”
The authors of the lawsuit believe that TikTok violates US laws by developing features and promoting content that is harmful to minor users. It is noted that the business model of the service is based on increasing the time that children spend watching videos on the platform. This allows the company to increase profits from targeted advertising. To achieve this, the service has integrated a number of features, including automatic video playback, promotion of online content and stories that are available for a limited amount of time, as well as so-called “beauty filters.” They also cite some trends that went viral on TikTok but later caused the deaths of teenagers.
Prosecutors believe TikTok is violating multiple U.S. laws, including the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), by profiting from the use of data from children under 13. It is noted that TikTok misled the public about the safety of the platform for children. In addition to this, the plaintiffs believe that “beauty filters” contribute to the development of an inferiority complex in minors, especially girls. The authors of the lawsuit want the court to oblige TikTok to change its business model and also impose monetary fines.
TikTok spokesman Alex Haurek said the company “strongly disagrees with these statements, many of which it believes are inaccurate and misleading.” He added that the service remains committed to the work that has already been done and is being done to protect teenagers. Haurek said TikTok has been cooperating with the group of prosecutors for more than two years, “and it’s incredibly disappointing that they took this step instead of working with us on constructive solutions to the problems of the entire industry.”