Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) sued TikTok on Tuesday, accusing the popular video-sharing platform of preying on young people with addictive algorithms and other design features.
Ellison argues the social media company is driven “by an out-of-control pursuit of profit above all else” that seeks to keep young users on the app with features like its recommendation engine, endless scroll, push notifications, filters, live videos and a virtual currency system.
“If you know nothing else about TikTok, you know it’s extremely addicting,” Ellison said in a statement. “My office’s extensive investigation into the company has confirmed that addictiveness is the result of years of intentional decisions that TikTok’s leadership made in the pursuit of profit.”
“Simply put, the more people TikTok can get addicted to its app, the more money they make, and the more their users’ mental health suffers,” he added. “This conduct is not just deeply immoral, it’s illegal.”
The lawsuit takes particular aim at TikTok’s live feature and virtual coins. This monetization feature is restricted to adults, but Ellison contends the app’s age verification system is “lax and ineffective.”
As a result, the Minnesota attorney general argues, TikTok generates revenue off these young users, who fail to fully grasp “its complex virtual monetary system.” He also alleges the platform “deceives” users into believing it is “far safer for children than it is.”
Ellison brought claims against the company for violating Minnesota laws on deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud, as well as money transmissions.
TikTok pushed back on these claims, highlighting its safety features for children and parents, including teen accounts with heightened default restrictions and a family pairing tool that allows parents to view and customize their kids’ privacy settings.
“This lawsuit is based on misleading and inaccurate claims that fail to recognize the robust safety measures TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support the well-being of our community,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The state’s lawsuit comes as tech companies are once again facing heat over how their products impact children.
Meta came under fire last week after Reuters reported on an internal policy document that suggested Meta’s artificial intelligence chatbots could engage in “romantic or sensual” conversations with children. The social media giant said it was an error and the language has since been removed.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) also sued Roblox on Thursday, alleging the popular online gaming platform has failed to implement safeguards to protect children from adult predators. Roblox has dismissed the claims as “erroneous.”
