(CNBC) A bipartisan group of more than a dozen state attorneys general is filing lawsuits Tuesday against social media giant TikTok, with one complaint accusing the company of deceiving users by claiming that its app is safe for children despite its “addictive” features, and of allegedly operating an unlicensed money transmission business.
The 13 states filing suit include New York and California, in addition to the District of Columbia.
“Our lawsuit is seeking to hold TikTok accountable for harming D.C. children,” said Attorney General Brian Schwalb of the District of Columbia, in an interview with CNBC.
Schwalb’s suit alleges a slew of “profound” mental health risks are posed to teens and children by compulsive TikTok use, including depression, anxiety, sleep loss and body dysmorphia.
Schwalb called the app — which allows users to create, share and view short-form videos — “digital nicotine” and said that TikTok is “intentionally trying to addict young people to its platform.”
He said the app “inflicts immense damage on an entire generation of young people.”
“In addition to prioritizing its profits over the health of children, TikTok’s unregulated and illegal virtual economy allows the darkest, most depraved corners of society to prey upon vulnerable victims,” Schwalb said.
“The company knows what is happening and has chosen to ignore it. This lawsuit seeks to put an end to its illegal, deceptive, and predatory behavior,” he said.
In addition to D.C., New York and California, the states filing suit Tuesday are Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington.
A TikTok spokesperson, in a statement, said, “We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading.”
“We’re proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product,” the spokesperson said. “We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features such as default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16.”
“We’ve endeavored to work with the Attorneys General for over two years, and it is incredibly disappointing they have taken this step rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges.”
Our statement on today’s Attorneys General lawsuits:
“We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. We’re proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve…
— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) October 8, 2024
