TikTok's Legal Woes: Accusations of Addiction and Mental Health Impact Spark Multi-State Lawsuits

Lawsuits filed separately in New York, California, the District of Columbia and 11 other states expand Chinese-owned TikTok’s legal battle with U.S. regulators, seeking new financial penalties against the company.

Unreleased documents from a lawsuit against the short video sharing platform "TikTok" showed that its officials were aware that the features of the application encouraged its excessive use, which caused negative effects on the mental health of teenagers, according to the "NPR" network.

Several US states had filed a lawsuit against the platform, due to its negative impact on the mental health of its users, especially young people and teenagers.

The US accuses TikTok of intentionally using software to create addiction to the app, keeping children watching for as long as possible and often leaving content moderation features off.

“TikTok is fueling social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “The app intentionally targets children because it knows that children do not yet have the defenses or ability to set healthy boundaries around addictive content.”

The US says TikTok is seeking to increase the amount of time users spend on the app in order to target them with ads.

“Young people are suffering from mental health issues because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

TikTok said Tuesday that it strongly disputes the allegations, “many of which we believe are inaccurate and misleading,” and that it is disappointed that the states have chosen to sue “rather than work with us on constructive solutions to the challenges facing the entire industry.”

The company said TikTok offers safety features including default screen time limits and default privacy settings for minors under 16.

According to Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, the application was specifically designed to be an "addiction machine" targeting teenagers who are still "in the process of developing self-control".

Internal Documents Reveal Awareness of Harmful App Features

The documents indicate that the company's internal studies revealed that excessive use of the application was linked to problems such as loss of analytical skills, a decline in the ability to form memories and contextual thinking, a decline in conversation skills, a decline in the ability to empathize, and increased levels of anxiety.

TikTok executives are said to have been aware that excessive use of the app can also interfere with sleep, work, school responsibilities, and even “connecting with loved ones.”

TikTok’s time management tool was found to be ineffective in reducing teens’ use of the app, with teens averaging 107 minutes a day even after the tool was activated, slightly lower than before.

According to the documents, the company knew the tool would be ineffective and that its primary goal was to improve the company’s image in the media.

On the other hand, the documents show that TikTok was aware of the dangers of so-called “filter bubbles,” where users find themselves trapped in negative content after following certain accounts, and the company realized that its algorithm would lead users to these bubbles after about 30 minutes of continuous use.

The documents also touched on oversight issues, with internal investigations showing that some underage girls on the app were receiving “gifts” and “coins” in exchange for submitting inappropriate content, and that the company instructed its employees not to delete the accounts of users who reported them unless they confirmed in their accounts that they were under 13.

TikTok Defends Against Allegations, Citing Misleading Information

For his part, TikTok spokesman Alex Hawrick defended the company, saying that the lawsuit filed by the state of Kentucky “is based on misleading quotes and outdated documents taken out of context,” stressing that the platform relies on strict protections, including removing users suspected of being underage, in addition to launching features to control the time of use of the application and parental control features.