United States of America: State of Minnesota Attorney General filed a complaint in District Court for Hennepin County against TikTok over alleged coercive design features, child safety violations, and deceptive practices

On 19 August 2025, the State of Minnesota's Attorney General filed a civil complaint in the District Court for Hennepin County (Fourth Judicial District, Case No. 27-CV-25-15301) against TikTok, alleging violations of Minnesota Statutes sections 325D.43 and 325F.68, and seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, civil penalties, disgorgement, fees, and costs. The complaint asserts that TikTok engineered an addictive social media application that exploits children’s neurological reward systems through coercive design features such as its recommendation engine, infinite scroll, push notifications, filters, and TikTok LIVE, thereby inducing prolonged and compulsive use among minors. It further alleges that TikTok misled Minnesotans by misrepresenting the safety and effectiveness of its content moderation systems, failing to disclose known risks, including ineffective age-gating and exposure to harmful content, and profiting through targeted advertising and in-app purchases, including its virtual currency system. The Attorney General brings the action under statutory and parens patriae authority to enforce state law, remediate alleged harms to children, and prevent further exploitation of Minnesota residents.