TikTok Faces Multi-State Legal Battle Over Youth Mental Health Claims

States Sue TikTok for ‘Deliberately Addictive’ Algorithm Design

Fourteen states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok on October 8, 2024, alleging the social media platform deliberately engineered its algorithm to addict children and teenagers. The lawsuits, filed in state courts across the country, target TikTok’s core “For You” feed and specific design features like endless scrolling and push notifications with haptic feedback. California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the coordinated legal action during a news conference in San Francisco, marking an escalation in the ongoing scrutiny of social media’s impact on youth mental health. The legal challenges arrived as TikTok faced a federal deadline to sell its US operations by mid-January 2025 or face a nationwide ban.

5 Key Points

• State attorneys general filed lawsuits after a two-year investigation launched in March 2022.
• Legal documents describe TikTok’s algorithm as “dopamine-inducing” and intentionally addictive.
• According to D.C.’s filing, TikTok’s virtual currency system operates without US Treasury registration.
• CDC survey of 20,000 teenagers links frequent social media use to persistent sadness.
• Twenty-two additional states filed supporting briefs in Tennessee court over document production.

TikTok’s Algorithm Draws Legal Fire

State attorneys general pulled back the curtain on TikTok’s recommendation engine in court filings Tuesday, describing a system built to exploit teenage vulnerabilities. The District of Columbia’s 80-page complaint details how TikTok’s “For You” feed studies user behavior, tracking every pause, like, and share to create personalized content streams that keep teenagers scrolling for hours. Facial filters embedded in the app create what D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb called “unattainable beauty standards.” At the same time, push notifications buzz phones throughout the day, pulling users back to their screens. “That’s how they generate massive ad revenue,” Schwalb told reporters at the district courthouse. “But unfortunately, that’s also how they generate adverse mental health impacts on the users.”

Get a free legal case review today

Did you develop any of the following injuries after being exposed to Fire Fighting Foam (AFFF)? * Choose one Ulcerative Colitis Kidney Cancer Pancreatic Cancer Testicular Cancer Prostate Cancer Bladder Cancer Thyroid Disease Liver Cancer Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma None of the above Were you exposed to Fire Fighting Foam (AFFF)? *

YesNo

Which medication(s) did you take during your pregnancy? * Choose one Tylenol Acetaminophen Alka-Seltzer Coricidin Dayquil Excedrin FluTherapy Midol Mucinex Nyquil Panadol Robitussin Sinex Sudafed Theraflu Other Medication(s) Was your child diagnosed with Autism, ADHD or another condition? * Choose one Autism/Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Asperger’s Syndrome Kanner’s Syndrome Childhood Disintegrative Disorder Pervasive Developmental Disorder Other Medical Condition How old was your child at the time of diagnosis? *

Under 18 years old18+ years old

Did the accident occur within the last 2 years? *

YesNo

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

ZIP Code *

Phone Number *

What is your case type? * Choose one -------------------- Asbestos Baby Formula Camp Lejeune Clergy Abuse CPAP Elmiron Exactech Firefighting Foam FTX Exchange Hair Relaxer Hernia Mesh Paraquat PFAS Roundup Sex Abuse Social Media Talcum Powder Tepezza Tylenol -------------------- Birth Injury Car Accident FELA Medical Malpractice Motorcycle Accident Slip and Fall Trucking Accident Uber & Lyft Rideshare Workplace Injury Weight Loss Wrongful Death -------------------- Something Else

Human Verification *

I understand and agree that (a) submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship, (b) I am not already represented by an attorney for this matter, (c) the information I submit will be shared with a law firm, and (d) I have read and accepted the terms and conditions of the Privacy Policy, Terms of Service and Legal Disclaimer. Further, I consent to being contacted by a law firm or its agent after submitting this request.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Hidden Money Trail Raises Red Flags

TikTok operates a shadow banking system through its virtual currency called TikTok Coins, court documents reveal. Users purchase these coins to send virtual “Gifts” to live streamers, who convert digital tokens into real money. TikTok pockets half of every transaction without registering as a money transmitter with the US Treasury Department or state financial regulators. The D.C. Attorney General’s office discovered teenage users spent hundreds of dollars on these virtual gifts during live streams, often in attempts to gain attention from popular creators. State investigators documented cases where young users depleted their parents’ credit cards buying coins, while some teenage streamers earned thousands of dollars performing suggestive content for virtual tips.

States Build Case From Teen Survey Data

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of 20,000 teenagers last year revealed stark correlations between social media use and mental health struggles. The Pew Research Center found that 95% of US teenagers use social media platforms, with one in three reporting they check their accounts “almost constantly.” California Attorney General Rob Bonta cited these statistics at Tuesday’s San Francisco news conference while surrounded by parents who shared stories of their children’s social media struggles. “My daughter spent seven hours a day on TikTok last summer, and her anxiety got so bad she stopped leaving her room,” said Sarah Chen, mother of a 15-year-old. TikTok spokesman Alex Haurek defended the company’s safety measures, noting that the platform bans users under 13 and restricts content for minors. However, state investigators discovered children easily circumvent these protections by entering false birth dates and accessing the same algorithm-driven content as adult users.