United States of America: Filed US State Attorneys Lawsuit against Tiktok over allegedly exploiting young users and violating state consumer protection laws

Description

Filed US State Attorneys Lawsuit against Tiktok over allegedly exploiting young users and violating state consumer protection laws

On 8 October 2024, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James, led a coalition of 14 other states in filing separate enforcement actions against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, alleging that the platform exploits young users and violates state consumer protection laws. The complaint, argues that TikTok intentionally designed its platform to encourage excessive and addictive use among minors to maximise profits. It highlights features like endless scrolling, autoplay, and beauty filters, which are engineered to keep young users engaged for extended periods, contributing to a youth mental health crisis. Furthermore, the lawsuit contends that TikTok deceives the public by downplaying the risks associated with its platform, despite internal knowledge of the platform's detrimental impact on mental health, including issues such as sleep deprivation, depression, and anxiety among young users. TikTok allegedly uses data-driven features to manipulate user engagement and fails to implement adequate safeguards for children under the age of 13. The states are seeking penalties, injunctive relief, and monetary damages to hold TikTok accountable for its role in the mental health crisis affecting young users.

Original source

Scope

Policy Area
Consumer protection
Policy Instrument
Fair marketing and advertising practice requirement
Regulated Economic Activity
platform intermediary: user-generated content
Implementation Level
subnational
Government Branch
judiciary
Government Body
court

Complete timeline of this policy change

Hide details
2024-10-08
under deliberation

On 8 October 2024, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia Jame…

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