Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James have initiated legal actions against TikTok, accusing the social media platform of exploiting young users and violating state consumer protection laws. The lawsuits, filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court, allege that TikTok promotes addictive behavior among children to increase corporate profits.

"Our investigation has revealed that TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits," stated Attorney General Rob Bonta. He emphasized the impact on youth mental health, saying, "Our children and teens never stood a chance against these social media behemoths."

Attorney General Letitia James echoed these concerns: "Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok." She noted incidents where young individuals have been harmed by participating in dangerous challenges on the platform.

The lawsuit claims that TikTok's business model is designed to maximize user engagement through features such as autoplay, endless scrolling, and push notifications. These elements are alleged to exploit children's psychological vulnerabilities and contribute to compulsive use.

TikTok is also accused of deceptive marketing practices regarding user safety and collecting data from minors without parental consent. The coalition of attorneys general aims to hold TikTok accountable for its role in what they describe as a youth mental health crisis.

Joining California and New York in this legal action are attorneys general from Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. This brings the total number of states involved in actions against TikTok to 23.

Attorney General Bonta has been active in addressing the issue of social media's impact on youth mental health. In recent years he has led investigations into TikTok and other platforms like Meta for similar concerns.