Utah Sues TikTok, Claims App is 'Addictive' for Children

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Facts

  • Utah on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Chinese-owned social media app TikTok on the grounds it creates addictive and unhealthy habits among consumers, especially children and teens.1
  • Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said the state seeks to hold 'social media companies accountable by any means necessary' while he announced the lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Salt Lake City.2
  • TikTok is accused of using 'highly powerful algorithms and manipulative design features' to get young users addicted to the platform, as states such as Arkansas and Indiana have also filed similar suits. Last month, a federal judge blocked California law seeking to protect children from harmful content on the Internet.3
  • The suit, filed by Utah's Division of Consumer Protection, also suggests TikTok misrepresents how independent it is from PRC parent company ByteDance. Meanwhile, state, local, and federal governments have blocked the app on their networks over espionage concerns.4
  • In a statement, TikTok responded to the suit by saying it uses 'industry-leading safeguards' to protect kids, including parental controls and a one-hour time limit for minors.5
  • Utah’s suit comes at the same time Maryland is suing TikTok and other big tech companies, and Indiana has made similar allegations against TikTok.4

Sources: 1USA Today, 2Associated Press, 3Reuters, 4Verge and 5Forbes.

Narratives

  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Chinadaily. Suits like this and TikTok bans are all part of a xenophobic witch hunt conducted by US politicians to scapegoat China for Americans’ problems. Those accusing TikTok, and in turn, the PRC government, of nefarious deeds have no evidence to back their claims. Ironically, these types of actions against TikTok also violate the First Amendment — proving the US isn’t as much in favor of free speech as it claims.
  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. China has utilized TikTok to surveil journalists, and it's been known to quash decent on the platform as well. So, it’s not surprising that there’s data showing TikTok is spoon-feeding kids endless hours of curated content to keep them scrolling. Until TikTok is fully detached from the PRC government, it’s not safe for Americans, especially children.
  • Narrative C, as provided by MSNBC. It’s important to litigate and legislate safeguards for children on social media, but this suit misses the mark because it focuses solely on TikTok. All the social media platforms are using the same tech to maximize how much time users spend scrolling. If Republican-led states like Utah could get over their China hatred and look at the bigger picture, suits against all the apps would better serve America’s children.

Predictions