TikTok has been a massive platform for many celebrities and normal people, but it has also been accused of many heinous things. Some of the things that TikTok is being accused of harming children’s mental health by showing inappropriate videos and having an algorithm that keeps them addicted to their app. Not only is TikTok being sued, but 14 different general attorneys are suing them for these accusations. These accusations come from the “TikTok challenges” many kids are doing. The platform is also being accused of addicting these kids to constantly watching videos and in turn, losing sleep by watching these videos. The lawsuits were filed separately by different attorney generals. Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the cases. This lawsuit has been a part of a lot of other legal pressure, which may lead to the ban of TikTok in the United States.
TikTok has also been accused of unlawfully collecting children’s data. Some actions that the attorneys are taking to stop children’s addiction to TikTok already exist, such as signing into law a bill to regulate social media algorithms. This bill will require platforms to display their content in chronological order, and this would take over how TikTok works. Last month, 42 attorney generals called to label apps warning young children about the dangers of social media on their platforms.
The spokesmen of TikTok came out and said, “We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading,” and also stated, “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.” TikTok has repeatedly said it believes its app is safe for all users, but it also has parental control so that parents can limit their children’s use of the app. After TikTok came out and said all these claims were false, the attorney generals came out and said that it is unfortunate that TikTok has refused to create a safe app that doesn’t maximize user’s time on the app. The attorney generals have decided to sue TikTok for all the claims now. TikTok has been sued for other claims: Tencent lawsuits, a class action lawsuit for data transfer, inappropriate videos promoted on their app, a voice actor lawsuit, collecting children’s data illegally, discrimination, and a few more. These have all been settled or dismissed. The attorney generals have claimed that TikTok has prioritized profit over their users’ safety. TikTok has made a profit of 16.1 billion worldwide in 2023, and TikTok’s profit has steadily increased by 40%. The CEO of TikTok is Shou Zi Chew, worth approximately 200 million USD. To conclude, TikTok has many allegations against it, accusing it of having damaged children’s physical and mental health.
