Utah has initiated a lawsuit against popular social media platform TikTok, alleging it knowingly creates an “addicting” platform detrimental to children’s mental health. The State accuses TikTok of violating the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act (UCSPA) through three primary allegations.
Firstly, the state claims that the innate nature of TikTok is addictive, crafted to manipulate children, an instance of an illegal, unconscionable business practice. Secondly, the state alleges TikTok misrepresents its purpose, falsely promoting itself as a platform mindful of users’ well-being and safe for children. Notably, TikTok had introduced features in June 2022 urging users to take breaks after extended periods of use. Such measures, however, have not alleviated concerns over the platform’s effects on youth.
The final claim asserts that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance’s China-based operations, are more interconnected than transparently conveyed to users, raising concerns about data privacy and security. TikTok, back in March, had faced a US House Committee grilling on questions of national security linked to its concerns over consumer privacy and data collection practices.
The complaint, beyond seeking to prevent TikTok from violating the UCSPA, demands more than $600,000 in damages. Utah Governor Spencer Cox, on this matter, has explicitly expressed intolerance towards what he perceives as TikTok’s deceitful representation of its platform as safe for children.
Alarmingly, the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory detailing detrimental consequences of children’s excessive social media use, from self-harm and eating disorders to racial exposure and social media addiction.
This isn’t the first time TikTok has been accused of endangering children’s safety. TikTok was previously banned in Montana, while overseas, scrutiny has been intensifying – Somalia banned the app due to its impact on youth. More so, Ireland’s data protection agency levied a hefty fine on TikTok for misuse of minors’ data.
For details on Utah’s ongoing lawsuit and more, please visit: Jurist.org.