TikTok is facing increased scrutiny from the United States. Utah is now suing the company, while Indiana and Arkansas had already filed similar lawsuits, Reuters reports. TikTok is accused of harming children by causing them to spend an unhealthy amount of time on its platform.
TikTok in hot waters with the US once again
In 2020, the ability to ban TikTok for security reasons was introduced for the first time. However, in the three years since, little has changed on the subject. However, we now have three separate states aiming to limit TikTok to some extent, the latest being Utah. Currently, the situation with TikTok differs from state to state. Last month, California sought to enforce a law intended to protect children when they use the Internet, which was blocked by a federal judge. Today, Utah disapproves of TikTok and alleges the app exploits children into compulsively checking and viewing the app.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said TikTok lies to children and their parents by telling them the app is safe, and that spending too much time on the platform has terrible effects on their mental and physical well-being.
The lawsuit says the social media platform uses “highly powerful algorithms and manipulative design features – many of which mimic the functionality of slot machines.”
TikTok currently has more than 150 million users in the United States and responded to the lawsuit by stating that it has ” industry-leading youth safeguards, including an automatic 60-minute time limit for users under 18 years and parental controls for teenage accounts. ”
The state’s investigation is ongoing. Utah is seeking civil penalties alongside an injunction that would prohibit TikTok from violating state law regarding deceptive trade practices.
