On October 8, 2024, the attorneys general for 13 states and the District of Columbia sued TikTok, alleging that the social media company targets young people and manipulates them to get addicted to the platform without disclosing to parents the harmful mental health effects of such addiction. The attorneys general filed suit in their respective state courts on the same day.
The coordinated filings follow a September 9, 2024 letter to congressional leaders from the National Association of Attorneys General, joined by 42 state attorneys general, supporting legislation to establish a surgeon general's warning label on algorithm-driven social medial platforms, and stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harm for adolescents.
The lawsuits allege violations of the various states' unfair trade practice/consumer protection laws, claiming that TikTok engages in unlawful business practices and deceives its users in multiple ways, including by falsely claiming that the platform is not addictive while knowing that it is, and by misrepresenting the effectiveness of its purported safety features. Lawsuits were filed by the attorneys general of New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, the District of Columbia, North Carolina and California.
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