13 states and D.C. sue TikTok, accusing platform of exploiting children for profits

TikTok's video-sharing platform faces lawsuits from 13 U.S. states and Washington D.C., claiming it fails to protect young users and seeks new economic penalties against the company.

The states, including New York, California, and Washington D.C., have filed separate lawsuits accusing TikTok of intentionally employing addictive software designed to maximize the duration and frequency of children's viewership for targeted advertising purposes.

The Attorney General of California stated that TikTok fosters social media addiction among youth to boost corporate profits, deliberately targeting children who lack the defenses and ability to set healthy boundaries against addictive content.

In response, TikTok firmly disagreed with the allegations, stating it provides safety features such as default screen time limits for users under 16. The company emphasized that many claims were inaccurate and misleading, expressing disappointment over the state's decision to pursue litigation instead of collaborating to address industry challenges.

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