On Tuesday, Utah government filed a lawsuit against Tiktok in Salt Lake City state court, claiming that the app endangers children with its addictive, harmful content.
Utah accused Tiktok that their algorithms or "recommendation engine" target children to view violent videos to increase their profit.
Utah Lawsuit: 'Anti-TikTok'
According to NBC News, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes filed and announced the suit at a news conference, revealing that the app has affected the users' mental health.
The lawsuit claimed that TikTok failed to verify the truth about their commitment to protecting the youth and removing sexual and other harmful material, including self-harm and eating disorders.
Reyes highlighted that the "unlimited scroll" in TikTok causes the children to engage their attention in the app, which tricks them into using it occasionally. Scrolling creates fresh videos or "filter bubbles" that contain extreme content based on the user's interest, which may harm users into exploring inappropriate content.
"TikTok directly profited from addicting children to the app and continued to capitalize on the addictive nature of the app despite knowing the harm that addiction would cause Utah's children," the state's suit said.
The two leaders said that the lawsuit is the first step to protect the children from the adverse effects of the app in their state.
"The harms to children need to stop," Gov. Spencer Cox said.
TikTok's lack of action will violate the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act. According to the court filing, the corrective action and damages will amount to more than $300,000.
Cox and Reyes continue performing an investigation of the platform's practices after filing the lawsuit.
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TikTok Denies Utah's Allegations
Meanwhile, TikTok rejected Utah's allegations and said, "TikTok has industry-leading safeguards for young people, including an automatic 60-minute time limit for users under 18 and parental controls for teen accounts."
According to NBC News, the app was almost banned in March. But the company CEO, Shou Zi Chew, defended and told Congress that the app is safe and secure for teenagers. The CEO said they are working on preserving a healthy community by discussing industry-wide challenges.
"TikTok has lied to parents to create a false sense of security," Reyes said.
Reyes aimed to prioritize the children's mental health and said that he would no longer tolerate the app in taking the innocence of the youth. The lawsuit said they had noticed the peak of TikTok last year, reaching 150 million active U.S. users - nearly half the population, and its ad revenue last year was almost $10 billion.
TikTok has also received a lawsuit from the state of Arkansas and Indiana with the exact charges. Montana was the first state to ban TikTok. However, the app and the creators continued challenging states who tried to go against them.
