Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against TikTok on Tuesday, Aug. 19, claiming that the app creates a “habitual dependence” that exploits children. The civil complaint compares TikTok to slot machines and alleges that the app may lead to anxiety and depression, developmental damage and financial exploitation among children.
Specifically, the complaint alleges that young TikTok users, those ages 13 to 17, may isolate themselves from their peers while on the app, or compare themselves too much to others, which may lead to self-confidence issues. The complaint also alleges that excessive use of the app may result in structural changes to the developing brain, specifically in the amygdala, which is responsible for emotional learning and behavior, and the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for emotional regulation.
A 2023 University of Minnesota study cited in the complaint describes TikTok’s algorithm as “a runaway train, a technological system that users cannot control but feel that they cannot leave or disengage from.”
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This addictive nature of TikTok, the complaint alleges, may disrupt the physical and sleep activity of children, who may feel like they cannot stop interacting with the app.
Of the nearly 70 million TikTok users ages 13 to 17 years old, almost 30 million spend two or more hours on the platform every day, according to the civil complaint, with about 17 million logging three or more hours.
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Ellison’s civil complaint also expresses concerns about TikTok LIVE, a feature that allows users to livestream videos for other users. Specifically, the complaint alleges how “an illegal money transfer system through TikTok LIVE … (allows) the company to profit from the financial and sexual exploitation of children.”
TikTok restricts monetization of content to users 18 and up, but Ellison’s complaint called the app’s age restrictions “lax and ineffective.” Children have learned how to navigate minimum age restrictions for TikTok LIVE, the complaint alleges, exposing them to potential exploitation.
“TikTok profited significantly from ‘transactional gifting’ involving nudity and sexual activity, all facilitated by TikTok’s virtual currency system,” the civil complaint states.
In a statement shared with USA TODAY, TikTok called the recent lawsuit “misleading and inaccurate.”
“Teen accounts on TikTok come with 50-plus features and settings designed to help young people safely express themselves, discover and learn,” the statement said. “Through our Family Pairing tool, parents can view or customize 20+ content and privacy settings, including screen time, content filters, and our time away feature to pause a teen’s access to our app.”
Thirteen states and the District of Columbia filed similar lawsuits against TikTok last year, citing concerns for the mental health of young users. The effort was led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington state also filed lawsuits.
In some states, TikTok requested the dismissal of these cases. In the spring, several courts denied these requests, including New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington and Illinois.
Where things stand: There’s just a month until TikTok could be banned – again.
Amid the ongoing lawsuits, TikTok’s future remains uncertain in the United States. In January, the app went dark for less than 24 hours under federal legislation that banned the platform in the U.S., signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2024.
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending the deadline for this ban. He has since pushed back the deadline twice and now has less than one month to finalize TikTok’s sale with ByteDance, the platform’s Chinese owner. The next deadline is Sept. 17.
Federal legislation banning the app, if its U.S. assets are not sold by ByteDance, came after some government officials expressed concern that TikTok poses a national security threat, believing ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, is sharing U.S. user data with China. TikTok has repeatedly denied these claims.
Contributing: Reuters
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].
