Washington – State attorneys general have launched a nationwide investigation into TikTok and its potential harmful effects on the mental health of young users, expanding government scrutiny of the popular video platform.
The investigation was announced Wednesday by several states led by California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont.
U.S. lawmakers and federal regulators have criticized TikTok, citing practices and the promotion of computer-driven content that they say could endanger the physical and mental health of young users. The platform has approximately 1 billion monthly users and is especially popular with teens and younger children.
Last month, Texas opened an investigation into TikTok’s alleged violations of children’s privacy and the facilitation of human trafficking.
“Our kids are growing up in the age of social media, and many feel they need to live up to the leaked versions of reality they see on their screens,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta , in a press release. “We know this has a devastating impact on children’s mental health and well-being.”
Bonta said the investigation aims to determine whether TikTok is violating the law by promoting its platform among young people.
Government officials and child safety advocates argue that TikTok computer algorithms that transmit video content to users can promote eating disorders and even self-harm and suicide to young viewers.
TikTok said it focuses on age-appropriate experiences, noting that some features, such as direct messaging, are not available to younger users. The company says it has tools, such as screen time management, to help young people and parents moderate the time children spend on the app and what they see.
“We are deeply concerned about creating an experience that will help protect and support the well-being of our community, and we appreciate the state’s attorney general’s focus on the safety of younger users,” the company said Wednesday. “We look forward to providing information about the many security and privacy protections we have for teens.”
Earlier last year, after federal regulators ordered TikTok to disclose how its practices affect children and teens, the platform tightened its privacy practices for users under the age of 18.
As its popularity has grown, TikTok has been criticized by state officials, federal regulators, consumer advocates, and lawmakers on both sides. Republicans have focused especially on the company’s ties with China. TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.
“TikTok threatens the safety, mental health and well-being of our children,” Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, a senior Republican in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said at a hearing Tuesday.
Late last year, a similar coalition of state attorneys general launched an investigation into the Instagram photo-sharing platform owned by Meta Platforms, the Facebook matrix, and its effects on youth. The action came after Facebook’s former product director, Frances Haugen, revealed an internal investigation into the company that showed apparent harm to some teenage Instagram users.
On his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Joe Biden called on Congress to strengthen the protection of children’s privacy, including a ban on advertising aimed at children and with measures aimed at reducing the promotion of content that contributes to addiction.
Critics of TikTok have reported, for example, incidents across the country that came to light last fall in which students vandalized school toilets and other equipment and stole supplies, apparently in response to a TikTok viral challenge called “perverted licking”. Also last fall, The Wall Street Journal reported that teenage girls had been seeking medical attention for the sudden onset of tics, such as sudden movements and verbal bursts; doctors said TikTok videos about Tourette’s syndrome could be a factor.
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