Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit alongside 13 other states against TikTok Tuesday, alleging the social media platform of using harmful business practices that target children, teens and negatively impact their mental health.
“Our lawsuit alleges that even though they had information showing that excessive and addictive use can cause serious harm to children, TikTok intentionally designed its platform to capture as much of its users time and attention as possible,” Raoul said.
The lawsuit stems from a bipartisan nationwide investigation launched in 2022.
“We further allege that TikTok deliberately and successfully targets addictive products to minors despite knowing the potential for serious harm, sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, and even suicide,” he said.
The lawsuit, joined by over a dozen other Attorneys General, claims TikTok violated consumer protection laws and is manipulating vulnerable users for profit.
“TikTok has created a product designed to maximized advertising revenue and keep users on its platforms for as long as possible to show more ads and use its data to seek more advertising opportunities,” Raoul said.
The U.S. Surgeon General found teens who spend more than three hours on social media per day are facing double the risk of experiencing poor mental health.
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The Illinois Attorney General said features on the app, such as filters, are setting unrealistic beauty standards and can be downright dangerous for its users.
“Plastic surgeons have even reported an increase in patients seeking procedures to look better on screen and remarked that TikTok advanced effects blurred the line between fantasy and reality,” he said.
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TikTok offered the following statement to NBC Chicago.
"We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. We're proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we've done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product. We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features such as default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16. We've endeavored to work with the Attorneys General for over two years, and it is incredibly disappointing they have taken this step rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges."
Raoul's office said the state's lawsuit is seeking an injunctive relief and monetary penalties.
