The bipartisan group, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, highlights TikTok’s content algorithms, challenges, and push notifications as factors that encourage compulsive use, disrupt sleep, and promote risky behavior.
The lawsuit claims that TikTok’s business model prioritizes keeping young users on the platform for extended periods to increase ad revenue. It also accuses TikTok of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting data from users under the age of 13 without parental consent.
In response, TikTok has denied the allegations. A company spokesperson said, “We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading.” TikTok also pointed to its efforts to safeguard teens, including screen time limits and parental controls, while expressing disappointment that the attorneys general chose litigation instead of collaboration on industry challenges.
The lawsuits come amid growing scrutiny of social media’s impact on children, with other states and federal agencies taking action. In 2023, TikTok’s US revenue reached US$16 billion, with US$2 billion coming from teen users, highlighting the platform’s influence on younger audiences.
This development adds to TikTok’s mounting legal woes in the US, as it’s facing a nationwide ban in January 2025 if its parent company ByteDance fails to divest the app as part of a federal child privacy suit.
