GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — North Carolina is part of a multi-state lawsuit against social media platform TikTok, according to Attorney General Josh Stein’s office.
On Tuesday, Stein, who is the Democratic nominee for governor in North Carolina, announced that he is part of a “bipartisan group of 12 attorneys general” that are suing TikTok and parent company ByteDance Ltd. “for harming children and teenagers in their states.”
The lawsuit includes allegations that TikTok is intentionally designed to be addictive, deliberately misrepresents the mention, emotional and physical risks to the app poses to users and deceived parents with safety guidelines that did not work as advertised.
“Attorney General Stein has played a leading role in the investigation into TikTok and this lawsuit,” the release states.
The Attorneys General of New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, the District of Columbia, and California are also part of this lawsuit.
“TikTok knowingly created a product that harmed children, and then it deceived everyone about how dangerous and addictive the product was,” said Stein. “They did this to make more money. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling – you have to be honest about the risks, and you have to follow the law. TikTok failed in both regards, and our children suffer. So, I’m taking them to court to make them do better by our kids.”
Stein’s office says that a teenage user of TikTok will be on the app for nearly two hours a day.
“The hours that kids spend on TikTok every day disrupt their sleep, interrupt their attention in school, and detract from their time with family and friends,” the release says.
Internal records from TikTok show employees expressed concern about safety with the app, trying to propose changes to make it better for children, but were ignored by management at TikTok.
A copy of the complaint is available here.
