TikTok sued for 'wreaking havoc' on teen mental health

More than a twelve states successful the US person sued TikTok, accusing the societal media level of helping to thrust a intelligence wellness situation among teenagers.

A bipartisan radical of 14 attorneys wide from crossed the state allege that the institution uses addictive features to hook children to the app and that it has intentionally misled the nationalist astir the information of prolonged use.

TikTok did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. It adds to the ineligible woes facing the wildly fashionable app, which much than fractional of US teenagers are estimated to usage aggregate times a day.

TikTok is already battling a instrumentality passed by Congress successful April that would prohibition it from the US, unless Chinese genitor institution Bytedance agreed to a sale.

"TikTok knows that compulsive usage of and different harmful effects of its level are wreaking havoc connected the intelligence wellness of millions of American children and teenagers," said the suit filed successful New York connected Tuesday.

"Despite specified documented knowledge, TikTok continually misrepresents its level arsenic 'safe' [and] 'appropriate for children and teenagers'."

New York Attorney General Letitia James said young radical crossed the state had died oregon been injured doing TikTok "challenges" and galore others were feeling "more sad, anxious and depressed due to the fact that of TikTok's addictive features".

She cited a 15-year-old boy, who died successful Manhattan portion “subway surfing” - riding connected apical of a moving subway car. His parent aboriginal recovered TikTok videos of specified enactment connected his phone, she said.

“TikTok claims that their level is harmless for young people, but that is acold from true," Ms James said successful a connection announcing the action.

The suit singles retired definite features arsenic problematic: alerts that disrupt sleep; videos that vanish, driving users to cheque the level frequently; and quality filters that let users to augment their appearance.

Though TikTok has promoted tools aimed astatine helping radical bounds their screen-time oregon resetting what contented they are served, it has misrepresented their effectiveness, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuits were filed by 13 states separately and successful the District of Columbia, wherever the lawyer wide besides accused the institution of moving an unlicensed wealth transmission concern via its "virtual currency" offering.

The suit asks the tribunal to barroom TikTok from specified behaviour and seeks fiscal penalties.

Regulators person launched akin cases against Facebook and Instagram for their interaction connected young people's intelligence health.

States specified arsenic Texas and Utah person besides antecedently filed akin suits against TikTok focused connected kid safety.

The Federal Trade Commission, a nationalist watchdog, besides accused TikTok of violating kid privateness laws successful August.