New Hampshire Suing TikTok Over Harmful Affect On Children And Teens
New Hampshire suing TikTok isn’t something I had on my 2024 bingo card, but here we are. The state announced the lawsuit claiming that the social media site is knowingly addictive, and harmful to children and teenagers. New Hampshire suing TikTok isn’t about banning the app though. Here’s what New Hampshire is looking to do.
Why is New Hampshire Suing TikTok?
The New Hampshire Attorney General is suing TikTok Inc. They’re alleging that the company uses unfair and deceptive practices that are harmful to children and teens. The lawsuit mentions the rise in issues like depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide among New Hampshire youth.
The lawsuit says, “This is a carefully designed machine with a clear end goal: to trap a user’s attention and minimize their agency to control their own app experience.”
In another part of the lawsuit, New Hampshire is asking a judge to enter an injunction that would require some real changes in how the company operates. They also are asking for penalties to address the harm that the company’s practices have caused.
How TikTok Harms Children
According to New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, there are specific ways that TikTok’s practices are affecting kids. “All the evidence shows that the longer kids spend on these platforms, the more risk there is to their mental health. We want to have more effective parental controls, because right now, parents don’t really have a good ability to limit their kids’ exposure to these platforms. They don’t have a good ability to turn the platforms on and off, to turn access to the platforms on and off.” (CBS News)
New Hampshire Suing TikTok Part Of A Bigger Plan
New Hampshire isn’t the first, and won’t be the last to have an issue with TikTok. Back in April President Joe Biden signed a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok. The ban is scheduled to take effect early next year. That’s unless the company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, sells it to a non-Chinese company.
TikTok has come back with their own lawsuit to block the ban. They say that a ban would be unconstitutional. TikTok stands by the safety of the platform.
