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SALT LAKE CITY – Thirteen additional states and the District of Columbia are suing TikTok alleging the social media company has violated consumer protection laws. Documents subpoenaed by Utah were "crucial" to the filing of these lawsuits, says the state's consumer protection division.
On Tuesday, the 13 states and D.C. announced their separate lawsuits against TikTok, led by California and New York. California's suit alleges TikTok uses addictive features to get children hooked on the app and the app has a harmful effect on children and teens. It is of a similar nature to the lawsuit filed by Utah one year ago.
"Today is a win for children and families in America as multiple states join Utah in the fight against TikTok's aggressive actions that endanger and exploit minors for financial gain," said Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes in a statement early Tuesday.
Reyes said since the state filed its initial lawsuit, the court ordered TikTok to comply with their subpoenas "leading to evidence that the social media giant built a revenue stream from the exploitation of minors on its platform."
"Utah applauds over a dozen states for filing suits in their respective courts," said Reyes. "We look forward to pursuing a unified mission to hold TikTok accountable until it prioritizes our youth over market share or profit margins."
Utah Department of Commerce Executive Director Margaret Busse said the state is "unwavering" in its efforts to protect children from "the harmful influence of online platforms that exploit their vulnerability."
"Our collective efforts signify more than just legal battles; they represent a steadfast commitment to fostering a digital environment where the safety and well-being of children are paramount," said Busse. A release from the Utah Division of Consumer Protection said the documents subpoenaed by Utah "has been crucial in strengthening the legal stance against TikTok, resulting in the filing of a second Utah lawsuit and today's filings by over a dozen states in their respective courts."
"Our investigation has revealed that TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement, adding children "never stood a chance against these social media behemoths." He said TikTok must be held accountable for harms it created.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a media inquiry from the Deseret News.
'It specifically targets children'
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the state is suing TikTok to "help combat the nationwide youth mental health crisis."
The following states filed separate lawsuits alongside California and New York: Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia.
California's suit against TikTok says ByteDance, parent company of TikTok, uses measures to protect children from harms in other countries.
"But TikTok chooses not to, and in California and throughout the United States, it specifically targets children (under 13 years old) and teenagers (ages 13 to 17) with a platform designed to keep these young users engaged as long as possible," alleged the state in its filing.
The 13 new lawsuits all come after Utah filed its original suit in October 2023. The Utah Department of Commerce's Division of Consumer Protection alleged TikTok uses addictive features to keep children endlessly using the application.
Utah's suit also claims when children in the state use TikTok for long periods of time and repeatedly, they suffer from adverse mental health impacts. The state alleges TikTok misled children and their parents into thinking the application was safe.
An addictive app
The suit pointed to features like push notifications and other design features ("many of which mimic features of slot machines") and said "young consumers become hooked, unable to escape using the app."
When members of the public went to see the original lawsuit, they would have seen black bars on many of its pages. That is because much of the lawsuit was at first redacted. But following a court order, it was unredacted.
"At that time, the state was not allowed to detail its allegations about TikTok's strategies to addict kids with carefully crafted designs that mimic a slot machine, while enjoying a market penetration of under 18 users of 95%," said the Utah Attorney General's Office about the redactions.
The unredacted version of Utah's includes data from TikTok that allegedly shows children between the ages of 13 and 17 check the app around 17 times a day. They also spend an average of two hours a day on it.
"TikTok is also aware that more than 20% of children are active on its app late at night (between midnight and 5 a.m.) when they should be sleeping," said the suit. It also alleged the social media company sends notifications to users up until midnight, a time when they could interfere with sleep.
As for TikTok's moderation systems, the suit claims these systems were less than 50% in categories of minor safety. The suit further alleges in categories like harassment and bullying, violent and graphic content and harmful behavior, the moderation systems were only around 30% accurate.
Some of the allegations and data points from Utah's first suit against TikTok were included in the suits filed by the 13 states and D.C.
Coming up on Thursday, Utah has a court hearing on its second suit against the social media company. Through the Utah Attorney General's Office, Utah's Division of Consumer Protection filed a second lawsuit alleging TikTok allows young people to be exploited on its app for money.
