States Pile in on TikTok Lawsuit, Say the App Is Like ‘Digital Nicotine’

TikTok has a messiness connected its hands. The app is the taxable of 14 caller lawsuits filed connected Tuesday by a conjugation of authorities attorneys general. They allege that TikTok harms teens’ intelligence wellness with addictive features and besides harvests their information without obtaining parental consent.

Led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James, the states’ complaints are sweeping. They accidental that TikTok violates user extortion laws by “misleading” users astir the efficacy of its time limit and content information features for users nether 18. The litany of complaints besides excavation into the app for “failing to pass young users astir the dangers of its quality filter” and “misrepresenting that its level is not directed toward children,” per a joint statement from Bonta and James.

The aforesaid connection alleges that TikTok violates the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, besides known arsenic COPPA, by “actively” monetizing information connected users younger than 13 years old. Google and Twitter (now X) person faced somewhat akin complaints.

TikTok features described by the officials arsenic addictive see the app’s “around-the-clock notifications” and “endless watercourse of videos that manipulates users into compulsively spending much clip connected the level with nary enactment to disable Autoplay.”

In a CNBC interview, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb called the app “digital nicotine” and said the institution was “intentionally trying to addict young radical to its platform.” D.C.’s suit additionally calls retired TikTok’s built-in “Coins,” reportedly describing the strategy arsenic “an unlicensed virtual currency.”

Reached by Gizmodo implicit email, TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said the institution disagrees with the lawsuits’ claims, “many of which we judge to beryllium inaccurate and misleading.” Hughes went connected to accidental that TikTok has “endeavored to enactment with the Attorneys General for implicit 2 years.” The spokesperson criticized them for suing alternatively than “work[ing] with america connected constructive solutions to industrywide challenges.”

While complaints filed connected Tuesday absorption connected TikTok, a connection from New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin argued that Meta has besides “purposely” created features to support kids glued to their devices for “ever-increasing amounts of time.” Platkin said Meta’s behaviour was “similar” to TikTok’s successful that respect and cited a abstracted ailment against Meta precocious filed by the state.

TikTok, owned by Chinese tech elephantine ByteDance, is simultaneously fighting the U.S. government implicit a instrumentality that requires the institution to either merchantability the app oregon look a ban. TikTok has argued the instrumentality is unconstitutional and circumvents escaped speech.

The U.S. Department of Justice has also precocious taken purpose astatine TikTok, alleging successful a abstracted ailment that TikTok gathers young kids’ backstage accusation without parental consent.