Illinois Attorney General sues TikTok for exploiting children’s mental vulnerabilities

CHICAGO (WCIA) — TikTok is facing legal trouble in Illinois as a state leader says the app is harming children.

Illinois is one of 14 states suing the popular video platform for deceptive business that targets children and negatively impact their mental health.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday. It alleges the business model of TikTok violates consumer protection laws by exploiting “young users’ psychological vulnerabilities” to capture as much screen time possible and sell advertising.

Raoul joined the lawsuit as he views social media is contributing to a devastating mental health crisis for American children and young adults.

“The addictive features on TikTok’s social media platform interfere with sleep and education, and contribute to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and thoughts of self-harm. In Illinois, we will always put our children and young people first,” Raoul said. “I am committed to holding TikTok and any other social media companies accountable for putting profits ahead of our children’s safety and well-being.”

Raoul also criticized TikTok for having some stricter child safety features in other countries than the U.S.

Almost two-thirds of all teens admitted using Tik Tok according to a Gallup survey from last year. That survey also found teens on average spent more than four hours on social media per day.

A TikTok spokesperson gave the following statement to WCIA on the lawsuit:

“We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. 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.”

Michael Hughes, TikTok spokesperson

Earlier this year, Raoul joined the surgeon general and several other attorneys general to call for warning labels on social media. Illinois also was one of more than 40 states that sued Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, on similar grounds.

The lawsuit was filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The full lawsuit can be found here.

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