{"id":111955,"date":"2024-10-08T23:48:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T16:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=111955"},"modified":"2024-10-08T23:48:48","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T16:48:48","slug":"us-states-sue-tiktok-claiming-its-addictive-features-harm-youth-mental-health-tiktok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=111955","title":{"rendered":"US states sue TikTok, claiming its addictive features harm youth mental health | TikTok"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/tiktok\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">TikTok<\/a> on Tuesday, alleging the popular short-form video app is harming youth mental health by designing its platform to be addictive to kids.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The lawsuits stem from a national investigation into TikTok, which was launched in March 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from many states, including California, Kentucky and New Jersey. All of the complaints were filed in state courts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">At the heart of each lawsuit is the TikTok algorithm, which powers what users see on the platform by populating the app\u2019s main \u201cFor You\u201d feed with content tailored to people\u2019s interests. The lawsuits also emphasize design features that they say make children addicted to the platform, such as the ability to scroll endlessly through content, push notifications that come with built-in \u201cbuzzes\u201d and face filters that create unattainable appearances for users.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"665a2f4b-6f58-4a1c-b3b7-67b45aa6765a\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-1your1i\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:3,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Threatened US ban against TikTok \u2018unconstitutional\u2019, platform argues&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;665a2f4b-6f58-4a1c-b3b7-67b45aa6765a&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2024\/sep\/16\/threatened-us-ban-against-tiktok-unconstitutional-platform-to-argue&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0,&quot;design&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">In its filings, the District of Columbia called the algorithm \u201cdopamine-inducing\u201d, and said it was created to be intentionally addictive so the company could trap many young users into excessive use and keep them on its app for hours on end. TikTok does this despite knowing that these behaviors will lead to \u201cprofound psychological and physiological harms\u201d, such as anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia and other long-lasting problems, the complaint said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cIt is profiting off the fact that it\u2019s addicting young people to its platform,\u201d Brian Schwalb, District of Columbia attorney general, said in an interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Keeping people on the platform is \u201chow they generate massive ad revenue\u201d, Schwalb said. \u201cBut unfortunately, that\u2019s also how they generate adverse mental health impacts on the users.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">TikTok does not allow children under 13 to sign up for its main service and restricts some content for everyone under 18. But Washington and several other states said in their filing that children can easily bypass those restrictions, allowing them to access the service adults use despite the company\u2019s claims that its platform is safe for children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Their lawsuit also takes aim at other parts of the company\u2019s business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The district alleges TikTok is operating as an \u201cunlicensed virtual economy\u201d by allowing people to purchase TikTok Coins \u2013 a virtual currency within the platform \u2013 and send \u201cgifts\u201d to streamers on TikTok Live who can cash it out for real money. TikTok takes a 50% commission on these financial transactions but hasn\u2019t registered as a money transmitter with the US treasury department or authorities in the district, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Officials say teens are frequently exploited for sexually explicit content through TikTok\u2019s livestreaming feature, which has allowed the app to operate essentially as a \u201cvirtual strip club\u201d without any age restrictions. They say the cut the company gets from the financial transactions allows it to profit from exploitation.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-11\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"newsletter promotion\" class=\"dcr-av5vqf\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1xjndtj\">A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives<\/p>\n<p><gu-island name=\"SecureSignup\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;newsletterId&quot;:&quot;tech-scape&quot;,&quot;successDescription&quot;:&quot;A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives&quot;}\"\/><span class=\"dcr-1eusqlu\"><strong>Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/help\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/terms\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/span><\/aside>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-11\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Many states have filed lawsuits against TikTok and other tech companies over the past few years as a reckoning grows against prominent social media platforms and their ever-growing impact on young people\u2019s lives. In some cases, the challenges have been coordinated in a way that resembles how states previously organized against the tobacco and pharmaceutical industries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Last week, Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, sued TikTok, alleging the company was sharing and selling minors\u2019 personal information in violation of a new state law that prohibits these practices. TikTok, which disputes the allegations, is also fighting against a similar data-oriented federal lawsuit filed in August by the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">TikTok, in particular, is facing other challenges at the national level. Under a federal law that took effect earlier this year, TikTok could be banned from the US by mid-January if its China-based parent company ByteDance doesn\u2019t sell the platform by that time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Both TikTok and ByteDance are challenging the law at an appeals court in Washington. A panel of three judges heard oral arguments in the case last month and are expected to issue a ruling, which could be appealed to the US supreme court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2024\/oct\/08\/us-states-tiktok-lawsuit-mental-health\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, alleging the popular short-form video app is harming youth mental health by designing &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=111955\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=111955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111955\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=111955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=111955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=111955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}