TikTok is facing new legal challenges, with 13 states and Washington, D.C. filing lawsuits against the platform on Tuesday, accusing it of causing harm to young users and failing to adequately protect them.

These lawsuits, submitted independently in New York, California, the District of Columbia, and 11 other states, intensify the ongoing legal battle between TikTok, a Chinese-owned company, and various regulatory bodies. The suits are seeking new financial penalties against the company.

The lawsuits claim that TikTok employs addictive software specifically designed to keep children engaged for as long as possible while also misleading the public about how effectively it moderates content.

“TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” stated California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.”

The states argue that TikTok’s main goal is to increase the time users, particularly young ones, spend on the app in order to bombard them with targeted advertisements.

“Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.

TikTok responded last week, stating that it firmly disagrees with the claims that it fails to safeguard young users, insisting, “in fact, we offer robust safeguards for teens and parents.”

In addition, Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb accused TikTok of running an unlicensed money transmission service through its live streaming and virtual currency features.

“TikTok’s platform is dangerous by design. It’s an intentionally addictive product that is designed to get young people addicted to their screens,” Schwalb said in an interview.

The lawsuit from Washington, D.C. also claims that TikTok allows the sexual exploitation of minors, alleging that the app’s live streaming and virtual currency systems “operate like a virtual strip club with no age restrictions.”

Other states filing lawsuits on Tuesday include Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington state.

Back in March 2022, California and Massachusetts were among the eight states that launched a nationwide investigation into TikTok’s effects on young users.

In August, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a separate lawsuit against TikTok, alleging that it had failed to protect children’s privacy. Other states, such as Utah and Texas, have previously sued the platform over similar issues. TikTok responded on Monday, denying these allegations in court.

Meanwhile, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is also contending with a U.S. law that threatens to ban the app entirely within the country.

{Matzav.com}