
(5MinNewsBreak.com) – The tug-of-war between U.S. states and TikTok, which is owned by Communist China, intensifies as over a dozen states and D.C. commence a legal battle, claiming the app manipulates young minds to foster addiction while ignoring mental health risks.
See more information on the lawsuits against TikTok in the tweet below!
This alarming situation resembles previous litigations against tobacco and pharma industries, reports point out.
More than a dozen states, alongside the District of Columbia, have launched lawsuits against TikTok, arguing the platform is engineered to addict children, seriously harming their mental health.
This coalition believes TikTok’s algorithm intentionally creates dopamine-driven addiction cycles that result in anxiety, depression, and even body dysmorphia. Such allegations mirror the battles fought against tobacco and pharmaceuticals.
In 2022, a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys generals initiated a national investigation into TikTok.
This scrutiny has now turned into a multifaceted legal attack, alleging TikTok exploits young users for profit while risking their mental well-being.
Concerns have also been raised about the app’s virtual economy, likened to an illegal operation profiting from users without adequate age controls.
The lawsuits highlight how TikTok’s revenue largely stems from kids glued to screens, hitting mental health and self-image.
Profiting from such a system, TikTok attributes its high ad revenue to the very nature of its addictive content.
“It is profiting off the fact that it’s addicting young people to its platform,” according to D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, cited by StatNews.
The lawsuits aim to hold TikTok accountable for these alleged harms.
Furthermore, attorneys general argue TikTok’s safety measures are easy for minors to bypass. Despite claims of improved safety features, young adolescents navigate age restrictions with ease, exposing themselves to inappropriate content.
Meanwhile, TikTok argues these allegations misrepresent their relentless effort to enforce safety, claiming they’ve engaged with attorneys general for years.
“We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading,” noted a TikTok spokesperson.
The company insists on its commitment to teen protection but remains under fire from legal challenges that include its notorious “challenge” videos—activities linked to numerous injuries and even fatalities among teens.
The conflagration against TikTok isn’t just confined to young minds but extends to potential illicit financial practices.
Allegations include TikTok’s operation of an unlicensed virtual economy, a claim the app contests.
With mounting pressure, TikTok could face a total ban in the U.S. unless its parent company ByteDance parts with ownership by mid-January, a threat that looms alongside an emerging appeals court ruling.
TikTok and ByteDance are preparing to contest the potential ban, signaling a decisive legal showdown in the near future.
TikTok Faces Multiple Lawsuits Over Youth Protection and Addiction Concerns
Key Points:
– 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia file separate lawsuits against TikTok
– Allegations focus on harm to young users and failure to protect children
– Lawsuits accuse TikTok of:
-…— The Only Way (@GermanFinGuy) October 8, 2024
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