Utah is suing TikTok, claiming it harms children

TikTok's legal battles in the United States continue. On Tuesday, the state of Utah's Division of Consumer Protection (UDCP) announced it's suing the app, claiming its harmful effects on children.

Utah's lawsuit compared TikTok's "highly powerful algorithms and manipulative design features" to "features of slot machines", likening the app to addiction associated with gambling. By doing so, the filing reads, "TikTok is currently succeeding at capturing the attention of young consumers worldwide, twenty-four hours a day. The result (and intent) of these manipulative tactics is that young consumers become hooked, unable to escape using the app."

In the filing, Attorney General Sean D. Reyes claimed that the app is "exploiting" children and their parents by having them watch videos "compulsively."

"What these children (and their parents) do not know is that TikTok is lying to them about the safety of its app and exploiting them into checking and watching the app compulsively, no matter the terrible effects it has on their mental health, their physical development, their family, and their social life," he wrote.

"And while it is highly lucrative for TikTok, this excessive use is incredibly harmful to young users."

The suit, filed in a state court, has Utah seeking civil penalties and an injunction. The state claims that TikTok has violated the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act, having "committed deceptive acts and practices", including the misrepresentation of safety and well-being on the app.

The lawsuit is demanding a jury trial and asks that the judge orders the company, owned by China-based ByteDance, to pay the UDCP's legal fees.

A statement from the Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox stated that the suit comes after "extensive investigation." The statement alleges that TikTok use "interferes" with the wellbeing of children, also stating that mental health issues for young people have increased rapidly just as "TikTok’s popularity has skyrocketed."

This is just the latest challenge to TikTok in the U.S., where the app has faced questioning on both state and federal levels. In March, the Biden administration demanded that ByteDance divest from the company or face a total ban. In May, Montana passed a ban on TikTok, and the company is suing the state in return.

At a congressional hearing earlier this year, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew defended the app and its intentions, saying that the company is "committed" to the safety and wellbeing of young people on TikTok.