WA Attorney General sues TikTok over youth addiction claims

OLYMPIA — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is suing TikTok for allegedly prioritizing profits over the well-being of millions of vulnerable young users, according to a statement from Ferguson’s office. 

The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, accuses the social media platform of violating the state’s Consumer Protection Act by deliberately targeting youth with features designed to foster compulsive and excessive use. 

Ferguson’s announcement is part of a coordinated nationwide effort involving 13 other state attorneys general who have filed similar lawsuits against TikTok.  

“I am one of the millions of parents across Washington who knows firsthand the hold TikTok and other social media apps have on kids,” Ferguson said in the Oct. 8 statement. “TikTok is deceiving young people and their parents when it claims to look out for the safety of young users. Platforms like TikTok must be reformed, and we know they are unwilling to do so on their own.” 

The lawsuit alleges that TikTok employs a range of tactics to keep young users engaged, ultimately compromising their mental health. It claims that the platform's algorithms are engineered to maximize user engagement by providing a constant stream of preferred content, a practice that has been associated with increased risks of anxiety, depression and body image issues, particularly among adolescent girls. 

Ferguson asserts that TikTok’s public claims of providing a safe, well-moderated experience for young users are misleading.  

“Despite TikTok’s assurances, we have significant concerns that their protections for young users are inadequate,” Ferguson said in the release.

TikTok's design includes features such as “endless scrolling,” which discourages users from disengaging, the suit contends, and also employs push notifications to create a sense of urgency. 

“TikTok’s business model relies on maximizing user engagement, which compromises the safety of its young audience,” Ferguson said. “They’ve created an addictive platform that is particularly harmful to developing minds.” 

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 63% of American teens age 13-17 use TikTok, with a significant number reporting daily usage. 

“We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading,” TikTok wrote in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter. ”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." 

The lawsuit follows a similar action taken by Ferguson against Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, last year. That lawsuit also aimed to expose how these platforms design features that can negatively affect young users. The state’s case against Meta is currently being litigated in the Northern District of California. 

There could be civil penalties of up to $12,500 per violation under the Washington Consumer Protection Act, according to the statement. Ferguson and the coalition of attorneys general are pushing for TikTok to revise its business practices.  

Proposed reforms include enhancing screen time controls for minors, limiting endless scrolling features, and improving age verification methods. 

Ferguson, a Democrat, is currently running for governor in Washington against Republican Dave Reichert. The Columbia Basin Herald does not endorse any candidate for political office and we encourage our readers to research all options on their ballots in the upcoming election.

NATIONAL FILINGS:  

The attorneys general listed below have also filed lawsuits against TikTok for alleged targeting of young users.  

California - Rob Bonta
District of Columbia - Brian Schwalb
Illinois - Kwame Raoul
Kentucky - Rusell Coleman
Louisiana - Liz Murrill
Massachusetts - Andrea Campbell
Mississippi - Lynn Fitch
New York - Letitia James
North Carolina - Josh Stein
New Jersey - Matt Platkin
Oregon - Ellen Rosenblum
South Carolina - Alan Wilson
Vermont - Charity Clark