Utah files lawsuit against TikTok with claims it harms children

The State of Utah has filed a lawsuit against TikTok with claims that it harms children and that the company hasn’t been up front about their ties to China.

Over the last few years, government officials have shared their distaste for TikTok due to its harm towards children and alleged ties to the Chinese government.

There’s even been an attempt to get the platform banned entirely in the United States.

Now, the State of Utah has filed a lawsuit against the company with claims that it harms children due to it being addictive.

Utah files lawsuit against “misleading” TikTok

The lawsuit was announced on October 10 by Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox and Attorney General Sean D. Reyes, with details released in a post on the Governor’s website.

In the statement, the state is alleging that TikTok illegally baits children into unhealthy and addictive use and blatantly misrepresents the app’s safety.

“To make more money, TikTok wants Utah consumers to spend as much time on its app as possible so it can place advertisements in front of them more often. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that the company misled young users and their parents about the app’s dangers,” the Governor’s website said.

Gov. Cox added: “Social media companies must be held responsible for the harms they are causing. The experts — from the U.S. Surgeon General and behavioral science researchers to parents and teens — all agree that social media is affecting our children’s mental health and it’s time to intervene.”

They also claim that TikTok has misled Utah consumers about the degree that they’re involved with their parent company, ByteDance, which is thought to have direct ties to the Chinese government which then allegedly collects user data.

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