TikTok can be an excellent resource for connecting with others and sharing ideas, but is it safe for children?

Attorneys General in thirteen states, as well as the District of Columbia, are suing, and it’s a rare moment of bipartisanship as they accuse the app of a slate of harms, from enabling sexual exploitation of children to violating money transmission laws.

Here’s what parents need to know about TikTok and the lawsuit.

TikTok Is A Popular Video-Sharing App That Has Been Riddled With Controversy

TikTok, once a popular teen-centered social media site, has a growing user base of adults. Smaller communities build within the site and share information (when I brought my daughter home, I found feeding tube information from other moms there that her doctors failed to mention, for example), experiences, and resources.

On the other hand, opportunists have found ways to use the site to scam others, the company has been targeted for legislation over privacy concerns, and evidence suggests its affecting kids’ mental health. Worse still, some adults use the site to run accounts showing sexualized videos of small children, in some cases even inviting viewers to suggest specific costumes or content.

The biggest problem is that TikTok has been made aware of these dangers but doesn’t seem inclined to act on them.

New Lawsuit Filed By State Attorneys General Over Addictive App

These states, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, allege that TikTok is harming children and refuses to take the necessary steps to protect them. For instance, the complaint filed by the AG of DC declares:

“TikTok knows that its design features make its App more addictive and keep users engaged for longer. While this may be good for business, it has perilous effects on children. These addictive features include: (1) algorithms that leverage user data to feed users personalized content recommendations; (2) infinite scroll; (3) push notifications with built in vibrations and “buzzes”; (4) filters and effects that create idealizations of unattainable appearances for users; and (5) an unlicensed virtual currency system known as “TikTok Coins,” which encourages excessive and exploitative spending. These features confuse and control young users, driving them to make choices on the App that boost TikTok’s profits at the expense of their emotional, behavioral, and physical health.”

North Carolina’s Attorney General, in his public statement about the complaint, adds that TikTok misled parents about safety features. He says:

“[TikTok] deceived parents and the public by advertising that it had safety guidelines in place to protect kids, including screentime management and content moderation. Those features did not work as advertised.”

He adds that internal documents have been obtained showing TikTok employees repeatedly brought these dangers up with leadership and sought to fix them, only to have leadership reject these attempts.

According to NPR, the complete list of states involved in the lawsuit includes New York, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia.

The Lawsuit Also Alleges Exploitation Of Minors

The lawsuit lays out the ways that TikTok’s virtual currency can be used to encourage minors to engage in adult behavior.

The complaint explains that while an individual is live streaming, viewers can offer ‘coins’ in exchange for performing specific acts. For some content creators, this may mean reading tarot cards or writing a viewer’s name in exquisite calligraphy, but the complaint indicates that minors on the app are being coerced into performing inappropriate acts on video.

This isn’t limited to teens, either — according to a 2022 Forbes report, videos posted to limited audiences have been previously flagged by complainants and raised to the attention of the Department of Homeland Security for content involving very young girls undressing and engaging in other acts.

This Follows Congressional Efforts To Ban Or Force Sale Of The App

Over recent years, Congress has addressed concerns with how TikTok’s parent company, located in China, handles the data that users pour into the app, not only through their phone camera but also through the app’s access to the rest of the device.

They’ve passed legislation seeking to force that company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations to a company in the United States. If ByteDance doesn’t comply, Congress (again, in a rare bipartisan move) seeks to ban TikTok.

However, the company has now filed a response arguing that this ban, which would go into effect in January if the app isn’t in the hands of a U.S.-based company by then, violates users’ First Amendment rights, according to CNBC.

What Steps Do Parents Need To Take?

Parents should speak to their children about TikTok and discuss the types of content they’re viewing and whether they’re sharing their own videos. If so, parents should review the type of content their children are producing. If children under age 13 say they’re creating content, they are already not using the app in compliance with its stated permissions.

Consider whether your child should be using TikTok and, if so, what rules and guidelines you’d like to have in place for that use. Keep a conversation open with your kid about their social media and other internet use. Make sure that your child feels safe speaking to you if they encounter content that is upsetting or dangerous.

You can also contact your state’s Attorney General with any concerns, such as if your state has not currently joined the lawsuit and you believe they should or if you have questions about your state’s participation in the suit. If you need contact information, you can check through the National Association of Attorneys General. Click on your state’s AG, and you should be taken to a page with their phone number, address, and additional information.