On Tuesday, Utah launched a lawsuit against the Chinese-owned app TikTok, alleging that it deliberately keeps young users engaged with its platform for unhealthy amounts of time, thereby

harming children. This lawsuit is part of a broader effort in the United States to challenge the popular app, as Congress has been considering legislation for several months that would empower the Biden administration to restrict or ban TikTok due to concerns about potential spying.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes stated that TikTok deceives children and their parents about the safety of its app, leading them to compulsively check and watch it, regardless of the negative effects on their mental health, physical development, family life, and social interactions. TikTok, owned by ByteDance and boasting over 150 million U.S. users, has denied any improper use of U.S. data but has not yet commented on this lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed by Utah in state court claims that TikTok's videos employ "highly powerful algorithms and manipulative design features, many of which mimic features of slot machines." These tactics result in young consumers becoming addicted to the platform. Utah seeks civil penalties and an injunction against TikTok for violating state laws protecting consumers from deceptive business practices.

This legal action from Utah resembles a similar lawsuit filed by Indiana against TikTok in December, which is currently pending in state court. Arkansas also sued both TikTok and Facebook-parent Meta in March, accusing them of promoting addictive platforms.

Furthermore, TikTok faces a lawsuit seeking to block Montana's unique state ban on TikTok usage set to take effect on January 1. Montana's legislature passed legislation to ban TikTok, citing spying concerns.

Last year, a group of Republican lawmakers expressed concerns about TikTok's algorithm exposing many children to non-stop inappropriate content, which they claimed was being force-fed to them. Photo by Solen Feyissa, Wikimedia commons.