TikTok has long been under hot water with governments worldwide, thanks to its deranged data privacy practices. Now, in a recent development, Utah’s Division of Consumer Protection (UDCP) filed a lawsuit against TikTok for its alleged involvement with the Chinese company, ByteDance, and its addictive nature for children.
As explained by Utah Governor Spencer Cox, TikTok not only misled parents about the safety of its app for children but also “illegally baited children” with features designed to encourage continuous scrolling, ultimately increasing revenue for the app.
“We will not stand by while these companies fail to take meaningful action to protect our children. We will prevail in holding social media companies accountable by any means necessary,” said Cox.
Three alleged violations
The lawsuit outlines three alleged violations of Utah’s consumer protection laws by TikTok. Firstly, the company manipulated children through its features. Secondly, the lawsuit claims that the app misrepresented its safety measures, deceiving users into believing it could maintain a secure digital environment for children. Lastly, the company misled users about its relationship with ByteDance.
Furthermore, the lawsuit delves into broader concerns about social media apps and argues that TikTok’s vertical swipe to load new videos is addictive, taking advantage of users returning for the dopamine rush.
Not the only legal trouble for the app
While this lawsuit represents a significant development, it isn’t TikTok’s first encounter with such accusations in the US. This is because last year, Indiana sued the app on similar charges. And in June, the Maryland school district targeted TikTok, stating that the app is contributing to a “mental health crisis” among students.
Beyond the lawsuit, Utah has already passed two pieces of legislation that impose strict restrictions on minors’ access to social media apps, including limiting the hours children can use the app, implementing strict age verification, and giving users access to minors’ accounts, including personal DMs.
2023-10-11 15:05:59