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New York Attorney General Letitia James was among a bipartisan coalition of 14 attorneys general who filed a lawsuit against the social media platform on Tuesday, Oct. 8, alleging fraudulent and deceptive business practices, among other offenses.
According to the complaint, TikTok falsely claims its platform is safe for young people despite “addictive features” that worsen their mental health and body image issues.
Those features include around-the-clock notifications leading to poor sleep quality, autoplay of an endless stream of videos, and a “likes and comments” section as a form of social validation, “which can impact young users’ self-esteem,” the plaintiffs argue.
They also take issue with so-called beauty filters, used to enhance a person’s image.
“Beauty filters have been especially harmful to young girls, with studies reporting that 50 percent of girls believe they do not look good without editing their features and 77 percent saying they try to change or hide at least one part of their body using these filters,” James’ office said.
“Beauty filters can cause body image issues and encourage eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and other health-related problems.”
The lawsuit also blames the social media giant for teens getting injured or killed because of dangerous TikTok “challenges” often promoted on the platform.
James’ office cited an incident in which a 15-year-old boy died in Manhattan while “subway surfing,” a trend where people ride, or “surf,” on top of a moving subway car. After the boy’s death, his mother reportedly found subway surfing videos on his TikTok account.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that TikTok collects and monetizes data on users under the age of 13, in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and misrepresents the effectiveness of safety tools meant to address the aforementioned concerns.
James said addictive social media apps like TikTok are directly contributing to worsening mental health issues among young people.
“In New York and across the country, young people have died or gotten injured doing dangerous TikTok challenges and many more are feeling more sad, anxious, and depressed because of TikTok’s addictive features,” James said.
“Today, we are suing TikTok to protect young people and help combat the nationwide youth mental health crisis. Kids and families across the country are desperate for help to address this crisis, and we are doing everything in our power to protect them.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta further criticized the platform, saying TikTok intentionally targets children because they often lack the capacity to establish healthy boundaries around addictive content.
“Our investigation has revealed that TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” Bonta said in a statement.
“When we look at the youth mental health crisis and the revenue machine TikTok has created, fueled by the time and attention of our young people, it’s devastatingly obvious: our children and teens never stood a chance against these social media behemoths.”
The lawsuits want TikTok to stop using what the attorneys general describe as “harmful and exploitative” tactics. They’re also asking for financial penalties, including disgorgement of all profits resulting from the alleged fraudulent acts, and damages for users harmed.
In June, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) For Kids Act, requiring social media companies to display content chronologically for minors unless they get parental consent allowing them to show content that is selected algorithmically instead.
The legislation also bars social media platforms from sending app notifications to minors between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent.
Related Coverage
Social Media Sites Should Be Forced To Display Warning Labels, NY AG Argues
- Hochul Signs Bill Restricting 'Addictive' Social Media Feeds Targeting Children
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