STORY: New lawsuits filed against TikTok on Tuesday accuse the popular social media platform of harming and failing to protect young people.
The lawsuits were filed separately in New York, California, the District of Columbia, and 11 other states.
They expand Chinese-owned TikTok’s legal fight with U.S. regulators and seek new financial penalties against the company.
The states accuse TikTok of using intentionally addictive software designed to keep children watching as long and often as possible and misrepresenting its content moderation effectiveness.
They also argue that TikTok seeks to maximize the amount of time users spend on the app to target them with ads.
Washington, D.C.’s attorney general alleged TikTok operates an unlicensed money transmission business through its live streaming and virtual currency features.
TikTok said it strongly disagreed with the claims, (quote) “many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading.”
TikTok provides safety features including default screentime limits and privacy defaults for minors under 16, the company said.
The U.S. Justice Department sued TikTok in August for allegedly failing to protect children’s privacy on the app.
Other states previously sued TikTok for failing to protect children from harm, including Utah and Texas.
TikTok on Monday rejected the allegations in a court filing.
TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance is battling a U.S. law that could ban the app in the United States.
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