Minn. Attorney General sues TikTok over addictive algorithms targeting children, teens

Minnesota TikTok lawsuit overview:

• Who: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing TikTok, targeting its impact on young users.
• Why: The lawsuit claims TikTok uses addictive algorithms that harm young people’s mental health.
• Where: The lawsuit was filed in Hennepin County District Court in Minnesota.
• How to get help: If your child has suffered harm as a result of addictive TikTok or other social media use, you may be eligible to join a social media and mental health injury lawsuit or participate in our video game addiction lawsuit investigation.

The state of Minnesota has launched a legal battle against TikTok, accusing the social media platform of exploiting young users with addictive algorithms. 

The Minnesota TikTok lawsuit, filed in state court, claims TikTok’s practices violate Minnesota’s consumer protection laws by promoting compulsive use among children and teenagers.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed the lawsuit Aug. 19 in Hennepin County District Court. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok’s design features, such as its ‘recommendation engine’ and infinite scroll, are intentionally crafted to trap young users in cycles of excessive use. 

These features exploit the neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities of young people, according to the TikTok addiction lawsuit. “Simply put, the more people TikTok can get addicted to its app, the more money they make, and the more their users’ mental health suffers,” Ellison said in a statement.

Minnesota’s lawsuit follows a series of similar actions by other states, bringing the total to about 24 states. The state’s investigation into TikTok revealed that its features, like TikTok LIVE and virtual currencies, have led to instances of financial and sexual exploitation of minors . 

TikTok, however, disputes these claims, arguing that the lawsuit is based on misleading information and fails to acknowledge the safety measures the company has implemented.

Minnesota seeks accountability for TikTok’s practices

The lawsuit accuses TikTok of prioritizing profit over the well-being of young users, arguing that TikTok’s algorithms create a feedback loop that maximizes user engagement by exploiting their brain-reward systems. This design is particularly harmful to young people, whose impulse control and decision-making abilities are still developing. 

“If we tell a child, ‘Use the force of your willpower to control how much time you’re spending [on social media],’ you’re pitting a child against the world’s greatest product designers and that’s just not a fair fight,” former United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in a 2023 interview referenced by Ellison’s statement.

Minnesota is seeking a court declaration that TikTok’s practices are deceptive and unfair, along with a permanent injunction to halt these practices. The lawsuit also demands substantive changes in TikTok’s operations to protect young Minnesotans from harm.

According to an AP news report, the state aims to secure up to $25,000 for each instance in which a Minnesota child has accessed TikTok.

TikTok has responded by highlighting its existing safety features, such as Family Pairing, which allows parents to manage their children’s app usage. The company insists that it has implemented over 50 features to support the well-being of its community.

For more information about the Minnesota TikTok lawsuit, Minnesotans can visit www.ag.state.mn.us/social-media to share their experiences with TikTok’s impact on young people’s mental health.

What do you think of the allegations made in the Minnesota TikTok addiction lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

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