United States of America: Announced Attor­ney Gen­er­al lawsuit against TikTok for allegedly promoting its app as safe for children, despite the presence of inappropriate content

On 9 January 2025, the Attor­ney Gen­er­al of Texas announced the filing of a lawsuit against TikTok and its affiliated companies alleging violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), as outlined in the Business and Commerce Code. The petition asserts that TikTok has engaged in false, misleading, and deceptive practices by misrepresenting the nature and extent of mature content on its platform, including profanity, sexual content, violence, and drug and alcohol references. Additionally, the petition claims that TikTok has designed its app to be addictive, particularly for minors, and has failed to disclose the associated mental health risks. Texas seeks civil penalties, a permanent injunction to prevent further deceptive practices, and a jury trial to resolve these allegations.