According to Alabama, TikTok’s algorithm was “engineered” to keep children endlessly and mindlessly scrolling.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has announced that the state has filed a lawsuit against TikTok Inc. and its China-based parent company, ByteDance.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this week in Montgomery County Circuit Cout, claims that TikTok is responsible, in part, for worrying mental health trends among Alabama’s youth. Furthermore, Marshall says that TikTok knew that its platform poses obvious risks for kids’ safety—but, instead of making a good-faith effort to protect children, TikTok allegedly developed algorithms designed to keep users “addicted” to the app.
“Today we join concerned parents across our state to stand up for Alabama’s children. TikTok preys on young people, feeding them dangerous and damaging content while lying to parents about how safe the app really is. This platform was designed to addict kids and put profits ahead of the mental health of an entire generation,” Marshall said in a press release.
“TikTok’s so-called ‘safety features’ are a joke,” he said. “They are nothing more than a marketing ploy to trick parents into trusting a product that TikTok knows full well is dangerous.”
“Alabama families deserve the truth, and we will make sure they get it,” Marshall said.
The lawsuit makes several allegations against TikTok.
According to Alabama, TikTok’s algorithm was “engineered” to keep children endlessly and mindlessly scrolling. Eventually, this scrolling may lead children to encounter harmful content, including content that promotes depression, encourages eating disorders, and glorifies behaviors like self-harm and drug use.
Marshall also says that TikTok’s safety measure, such as “Kids Mode” and “Restrictive Mode,” are ineffective and easily bypassed by children.
“Over one-third of [TikTok’s] daily users in the United States are fourteen or younger. TikTok’s capture of the American youth is no accident but is instead the result of a carefully executed campaign,” the lawsuit alleges. “It further identifies TikTok being ultimately owned and operated by ByteDance, a Chinese corporation, which since the app’s inception, has focused on ‘gathering as much data on users as possible.’”
Marshall also raised a series of security concerns, similar to those use to justify an impending, nationwide ban on TikTok.
“We cannot ignore the giant problem with this platform: TikTok is owned by Chinese corporation ByteDance, which mines sensitive American data from the People’s Republic of China, where corporations have a legal obligation to share that data with the Chinese national intelligence services,” Marhsall said. “TikTok and ByteDance are knowingly committing espionage against Americans’ personal information, and they are exploiting our children specifically.”
The lawsuit seeks a range of compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a court order prohibiting TikTok from continuing its allegedly misleading practices.
Sources
Alabama AG sues TikTok, ByteDance alleging they’re ‘built to keep kids hooked.’ What we know
Alabama Attorney General announces lawsuit against TikTok, ByteDance Inc.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announces state lawsuit against TikTok, ByteDance
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