CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire has become the latest state to sue TikTok, alleging that the social media platform is intentionally designed to addicted kids and causes serious harm to their mental health.
How does TikTok harm children?
Indeed, the state’s lawsuit alleges that as TikTok’s popularity has grown, so have instances of mental health issues among children.
“All the evidence shows that the more time children spend on these platforms, the greater the risks to their mental health. We want more effective parental controls because currently parents don’t have enough ability to limit their children’s exposure to these platforms. They don’t have enough ability to turn the platforms on and off, turn access to the platforms on and off,” said New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella.
New Hampshire files complaint against TikTok
The complaint also alleges that TikTok lied to parents about the safety of its platform and knowingly promoted ineffective safety practices. The state also says TikTok collected personal data from users under the age of 13 without parental consent.
“New Hampshire puts kids first,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “This lawsuit, coupled with my previous executive order investigating the harms of social media on New Hampshire youth, should serve as another wake-up call for parents about the dangers social media poses to their children.”
A TikTok spokesman said the company has industry-leading safety practices to support the well-being of teenagers, including a 60-minute screen time limit for users under 16, but declined to comment on the details of the New Hampshire complaint.
US wants to ban TikTok
A growing number of states are cracking down on TikTok over concerns about mental health issues among children and that the Chinese government could force its parent company, ByteDance, to hand over personal information about Americans. Several TikTok users Sued a U.S. state On the issue of a nationwide ban It warned that its Chinese parent company ByteDance would be breaking the law if it didn’t sell the app. Violating freedom of speech.
New Hampshire isn’t going to shut down the app, and Formella wants TikTok to make reforms (like time limits for younger users and better parental controls) and pay damages for the harm it’s already caused to children.
