WA Attorney General sues TikTok over youth addiction claims

Oct. 16 — OLYMPIA — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is suing TikTok for allegedly prioritizing profits over the well-being of millions of vulnerable young users, according to a statement from Ferguson’s office.

The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, accuses the social media platform of violating the state’s Consumer Protection Act by deliberately targeting young people with features designed to encourage compulsive and excessive use.

Ferguson’s announcement is part of a coordinated nationwide effort involving 13 other state attorneys general who have filed similar lawsuits against TikTok.

“I am one of the millions of parents in Washington who know firsthand the control that TikTok and other social media apps have over children,” Ferguson said in the Oct. 8 statement. “TikTok is misleading young people and their parents when it says it is looking out for the safety of young users. Platforms like TikTok need to be reformed and we know they are not willing to do it on their own.”

The lawsuit alleges that TikTok employs a number of tactics to keep young users engaged and ultimately compromise their mental health. It claims the platform’s algorithms are designed to maximize user engagement by providing a constant stream of favorite content, a practice that has been associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression and body image issues, especially among teenage girls .

Ferguson claims that TikTok’s public claims of providing a safe and well-moderated experience for young users are misleading.

“Despite TikTok’s assurances, we have significant concerns that its protections for young users are inadequate,” Ferguson said in the statement.

TikTok’s design includes features such as “endless scrolling,” which discourages users from disconnecting, the suit claims, and also uses push notifications to create a sense of urgency.

“TikTok’s business model is based on maximizing user engagement, which compromises the safety of its young audience,” Ferguson said. “They have created an addictive platform that is especially harmful to developing minds.”

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 63% of US teens between the ages of 13 and 17 use TikTok, with a significant number reporting daily use.

“We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe are inaccurate and misleading,” TikTok wrote in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. “We’re proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve done to protect teens, and we’ll continue to update and improve our product. We offer strong safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily released safety features like now default screen time, family partner, and privacy limits for under 16s We’ve been trying to work with the attorneys general for over two years, and it’s incredibly disappointing that they’ve taken this step instead of working with us in constructive solutions for challenges of the entire sector”.

The lawsuit follows a similar action taken by Ferguson against Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, last year. This lawsuit also aimed to expose how these platforms design features that can negatively affect young users. The state’s case against Meta is currently being litigated in the Northern District of California.

According to the statement, there could be civil penalties of up to $12,500 per violation under the Washington Consumer Protection Act. Ferguson and the coalition of attorneys general are pushing for TikTok to review its business practices.

Proposed reforms include improving screen time controls for minors, limiting infinite scrolling features and improving age verification methods.

Ferguson, a Democrat, is currently running for governor in Washington against Republican Dave Reichert. The Columbia Basin Herald does not endorse any candidate for political office, and we encourage our readers to research all options on their ballots in the upcoming election.

NATIONAL REGISTRATIONS:

The attorneys general listed below have also filed lawsuits against TikTok for allegedly targeting young users.

California – Rob Bonta

District of Columbia – Brian Schwalb

Illinois – Kwame Raoul

Kentucky – Russell Coleman

Louisiana – Liz Murrill

Massachusetts – Andrea Campbell

Mississippi – Lynn Fitch

New York – Letitia James

North Carolina – Josh Stein

New Jersey – Matt Platkin

Oregon – Ellen Rosenblum

South Carolina – Alan Wilson

Vermont – Charity Clark