More than a dozen state attorneys general, some of them Republican and others Democrats, are suing TikTok over the effects the social media app is allegedly having on young people's mental health.
Since banning TikTok outright did not work as planned, America's political class is attempting to play the but think of the children! card to try to stop TikTok from being functional in the United States.
The joint lawsuit, filed by the District of Columbia attorney general, accuses TikTok of deceiving its users by claiming the app is safe for children. TikTok is also accused of operating an illegal money transmission business.
The timing of the suit is glaringly obvious as to what spurred it. TikTok's lawyers just got finished successfully appealing in federal court a new law that would have banned TikTok after Jan. 19, 2025, unless ByteDance sells it to a non-Chinese buyer. The courts ruled that this ban is unconstitutional, so now state AGs are attempting to sue TikTok using the children's mental health excuse.
All in all, 13 states, including New York and California, as well as Washington, D.C., are trying to argue that Tikok is filled with "addictive" features that make it unsafe for young people.
"Our lawsuit is seeking to hold TikTok accountable for harming D.C. children," said D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb with a straight face.
Schwalb says there are "profound" mental health risks associated with TikTok use, including depression, anxiety, sleep loss, and body dysmorphia. None of those symptoms could possibly have anything to do with the way politicians run America on behalf of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of everyone else – no, it's all TikTok's fault, according to these AGs.
Critics say TikTok is "digital nicotine"
To emphasize his dislike of TikTok, Schwalb even went so far as to call the platform "digital nicotine," the implication being that its owners are "intentionally trying to addict young people to its platform."
Interestingly, Schwalb has no problem with Facebook, X / Twitter and the rest of social media, all of which offer the same features. Only TikTok is on the chopping block, which makes you wonder who is really behind this push to outlaw it.
Schwalb says that TikTok "inflicts immense damage on an entire generation of young people," and thus must be eliminated through any means possible.
"In addition to prioritizing its profits over the health of children, TikTok's unregulated and illegal virtual economy allows the darkest, most depraved corners of society to prey upon vulnerable victims," Schwalb further said.
"The company knows what is happening and has chosen to ignore it. This lawsuit seeks to put an end to its illegal, deceptive, and predatory behavior."
Besides D.C., New York and California, the other states that are joining the suit against TikTok include:
• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Mississippi
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Vermont
• Washington
In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson responded that the company "strongly" disagrees with allegations that the platform's very existence is destroying children's brains.
"We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading," the spokesperson said.
"We're proud of an remain deeply committed to the work we've done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product. We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features such as default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16."
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