“TikTok knows that compulsive use of and other harmful effects of its platform are wreaking havoc on the mental health of millions of American children and teenagers,” said the lawsuit filed in New York on Tuesday.
“Despite such documented knowledge, TikTok continually misrepresents its platform as ‘safe’ [and] ‘appropriate for children and teenagers’.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said young people across the country had died or been injured doing TikTok “challenges” and many others were feeling “more sad, anxious and depressed because of TikTok’s addictive features”.
She cited a 15-year-old boy, who died in Manhattan while “subway surfing” – riding on top of a moving subway car. His mother later found TikTok videos of such activity on his phone, she said.
“TikTok claims that their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from true,” Ms James said in a statement announcing the action.