Social network TikTok is facing new demands 13 US statesAmong these is Washington DC, Reuters reports. The case came to light on Tuesday and all of them accused the platform of harming and failing to protect the youth.
Separate lawsuits filed in New York, California, the District of Columbia and 10 other states extend China-owned TikTok’s legal battle with US regulators and New economic sanctions are sought against the company.
States accuse TikTok of intentionally using addictive software designed to get minors to view content As much as possibleand misrepresenting its content control effectiveness.
“TikTok is fueling social media addiction to increase corporate profits,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “TikTok deliberately targets children because they know they don’t yet have the ability to create healthy boundaries around protective or addictive content.”
States are insisting on Tiktok Trying to maximize time Users spend in-app to target ads to them. “Youth are struggling with mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Last week, TikTok “completely disagreed” Children are accused of not being protected And they claim to offer “stronger protections for teens and parents.”
For his part, Washington DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb accused the social network of operating a streaming business. Money without a license Through its live streaming and virtual currency features.
“The TikTok platform is a product deliberately designed to make young people addicted to their screens,” Schwalb said in an interview.
Washington lawsuit accuses TikTok Facilitates sexual exploitation TikTok’s livestream and virtual currency “act like a virtual strip club without age restrictions” for younger users
The states of Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington have also filed lawsuits.
Previously, in March 2022, eight states, including California and Massachusetts They conducted a nationwide investigation On the impact of TikTok on youth.
Similarly, the United States Department of Justice sued the social network in August for failing to protect children’s privacy on the application.
Other states have previously called out TikTok for failing to protect children from harm, including Utah and Texas. TikTok denied the allegations in a court filing on Monday.
TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, is fighting a US law banning the app in the United States.
