TikTok faces new lawsuits in the US accusing it of harming children | Technology News | The Round Table The popular social media platform TikTok has been alleged of harming and failing to protect juvenile people in a slew of modern lawsuits filed by several US states.
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The lawsuits, filed on Tuesday in New York, California, and 11 other states, as well as the District of Columbia, add to continuing legal conflicts the Chinese-owned company is already embroiled in in the United States. The last filings charge the company of intentionally using addictive software to keep children watching as long as possible, as well as of misrepresenting the effectiveness of its content moderation.
TikTok has repudiated the allegations “many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading”. It revealed that it was disappointed the states elected to sue “rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges”.
The platform’s parent company, ByteDance, is also fighting recommended legislation that could prohibit the app in the US. The company has previously revealed that it strongly disagrees with allegations it fails to protect children, and has revealed that it offers “robust safeguards for teens and parents”.
US legislators have argued that the app could allow the Chinese government to inherit user data and lobby Americans through its wildly popular algorithm. The White House has supported the bill.
Legislators and the White House, however, are at odds with many of TikTok’s 170 million US users – representing roughly half the country – as well as civil liberties and digital rights groups who reveal a taboo would encroach on freedom of speech.
In June, a coalition of civil rights groups, including the Asian American Foundation and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, argued that TikTok was vital for the visibility of marginalised groups.
“TikTok is a modern-day digital town square that empowers diverse communities, often neglected by traditional media outlets, to share their underrepresented voices with people across America and the world,” lawyers representing the coalition wrote in a court filing.
The American Civil Liberties Union has also attacked attempts to shut down TikTok, reporting that politicians were “trying to trade our First Amendment rights for inexpensive political points”.
“Whether it’s watching cooking tutorials, debating the news of the day, or livestreaming protests, we have a right to use TikTok and other platforms to exchange our thoughts, ideas, and opinions with people around the world,” the ACLU said.
The latest lawsuits charge TikTok of seeking to maximise the amount of time users pay on the app to target them with ads.
“TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta declared in a statement. “TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.”
“Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok,” echoed New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Washington’s lawsuit also alleged TikTok of aiding sexual exploitation of underage users, announcing TikTok’s live streaming and virtual currency “operate like a virtual strip club with no age restrictions.”
“TikTok’s platform is dangerous by design,” stated Washington, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb. “It’s an intentionally addictive product that is designed to get juvenile people addicted to their screens.”
TikTok discloses that it provides safety highlights including default screentime limits and privacy defaults for minors under 16.
Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington state also sued on Tuesday. Other states, including Utah and Texas, had already sued the company. The US Department of Justice also filed its own lawsuit against TikTok earlier this year for supposedly failing to protect children’s privacy on the app.
Regards to Al Jazeera
Category: World-News
Tag: TikTok faces new lawsuits in the US accusing it of harming children Technology News The Round Table
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Published 10/9/2024