Utah Sues TikTok for Facilitating Underage Gambling

Article by : Erik Gibbs Oct 11, 2023

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Utah filed a lawsuit against TikTok on Tuesday, alleging that the company is enticing children and teenagers into harmful social media habits.

In the lawsuit, filed in state court in Salt Lake City, TikTok is accused of using its “highly powerful algorithms and manipulative design features” to lure young users, leading to addictive and unhealthy behaviors.

Utah asserts that the company misrepresents the app’s safety and falsely presents itself as independent of its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

This legal action is the most recent endeavor by lawmakers to regulate and hold social media companies accountable for their content and protection of users’ private data.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, speaking during a news conference alongside Gov. Spencer Cox, underscored that his primary focus is the protection of the state’s children.

Utah officials cited public health concerns and research indicating the impact of social media on children’s mental health, including the risk of depression, anxiety, heightened developmental sensitivity and disruptions to neurological development.

The state aims to stop TikTok’s alleged illegal business practices, which officials claim violate Utah’s consumer protection laws, and to compel the company to change its “destructive behavior,” according to Reyes.

The lawsuit also requests that the state court impose fines and penalties to support educational efforts and deter social media companies from committing similar violations in the future.

In reaction to the lawsuit, TikTok’s spokesperson, Alex Haurek, conveyed to USA TODAY the company’s dedication to ensuring the safety of its users.

Haurek mentioned that TikTok has implemented industry-leading protective measures for young individuals, such as a built-in 60-minute time limit for users under 18 and the availability of parental controls for teen accounts.

Haurek affirmed the company’s ongoing commitment to enhancing user safety by addressing challenges that extend across the industry.

The lawsuit alleges that compulsive and prolonged use of TikTok is “incredibly dangerous.” TikTok is a highly popular social media platform among children and teenagers, allowing users to create, watch and share short-form videos.

The lawsuit contends that TikTok intentionally created and deployed an addictive product to profit by “monetizing the attention of young users.” Children, the lawsuit argues, are particularly susceptible as consumers and can develop a habit of dependency on the app.

The lawsuit asserts that children who spend more than three hours per day on social media double their risk of experiencing mental health issues. Frequent and heavy use of TikTok may also lead to structural changes in the brain and disrupt activities like sleep, according to the lawsuit.