More than a dozen states sued TikTok for damaging the mental health of children

Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have sued TikTok, alleging the app knowingly abuses children and teenagers' mental health in the name of revenue.

According to the New York Times, the states also alleged that the company falsely claims to limit screen time to 60 minutes for minors and carefully curate the content they see.

The lawsuits say that internal company documents show that the company is aware of the addictiveness of its features for minors, and it continues to push its model to keep users engaged.

The plaintiffs also allege that thousands of children have used the app's live-streaming feature, which allows other users to send them rewards, incentivizing exploitation.

New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote in a statement that the company also features beauty filters that young girls can use, knowing their effects on their body image, NPR explains.

Finally, the states' attorneys general say the app is designed for children to lose track of time due to its never-ending scroll feature and push notifications.

The company said it has taken many steps to protect children and teens and tried to work with the states' attorneys, so the lawsuits were "disappointing," the NY Times reported.

The bipartisan group of attorneys general suing the app includes those from New York, California, DC, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington.

Since they rely on specific consumer protection state laws, the authorities filed the documents separately in each state. The company will have to face 14 courts.

The lawsuit is just the latest proof of the troubled relationship between TikTok and US officials, who have raised concerns about the app's design, content, and Chinese parent company.

The new lawsuits add to another one the Department of Justice placed in August against the company, alleging it illegally collected data from children under 13.

The New York Times said the lawsuit alleged TikTok allowed kids to open accounts, collected their data without parental consent, and, in some cases, did not honor their requests to delete their children's accounts.

Months before that, in April, President Biden signed a bill to ban TikTok nationwide if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, doesn't sell the US app before January 19.

The company's problems are accumulating in the US, making its future uncertain in the country. Hundreds of influencers have campaigned against its ban.

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