Profits Over Kids: Why TikTok’s Legal Troubles Signal a Larger Social Media Crisis

TikTok has been sued by attorneys general from 14 states and districts for allegedly harming children’s mental health and misleading the public about how safe the platform is.

The bipartisan group, led by New York’s Letitia James and California’s Rob Bonta, each filed lawsuits alleging violations of their own state’s law.

“Our investigation has revealed that TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” Bonta said in a statement. “TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defences or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.”