TikTok Is Being Sued

TikTok is facing a lawsuit from thousands of parents who claim the popular social media app is addictive and exposes children to dangerous and inappropriate content. Since its massive rise in popularity during the pandemic, TikTok has faced incredible backlash for sparking potentially dangerous viral internet trends, the addictive nature of its algorithm, and even for influencing deaths.

TikTok is infamous for using incredibly effective algorithms to keep users continuously engaged. These algorithms can create a dangerous “rabbit hole” effect, as users show interest in one video and are then overwhelmed by content with similar themes. This effect is what makes TikTok so addictive, and can potentially create a dangerous situation for young people who are consistently fed harmful videos about mental health and suicide. One parent participating in the lawsuit says that TikTok ruined her daughter’s life after her twelve-year-old posted on the app about considering suicide. This family’s unfortunate situation is one of many that brought on this massive lawsuit accusing TikTok of repeatedly exposing children to triggering content.

As reported by Dexerto, the lawsuit against TikTok comes from over 5,000 parents seeking to take action against the app for its alleged effects on their children. The parents, assisted by ClaimsHero, claim that TikTok is destroying America’s youth and allege that its algorithm turns the platform into a “drug” that exposes children to sexual, violent, and suicidal content. According to ClaimsHero, eligible families may be rewarded with up to $10,000 in damages.

This is not the first time TikTok has faced legal action, with lawsuits from users and attempts to ban TikTok in the US littering its controversial history. Several states have attempted to create bans or restrictive legislation against the app in attempts to curb its allegedly damaging effects. Additionally, this is not the first case accusing TikTok of harming mental health and even allegedly influencing the suicides of young people. With a recent addition to the user agreement that only allows users to make claims within one year of creating an account, the pressure for concerned families to take action is great.

While TikTok trends inspired by movies, games, or the world at large are entertaining and have garnered the app a massive amount of power, the dangerous effects of the app, and social media in general, are still being researched. Seeing as social media is still a relatively new creation, the future of generations raised by endless streams of content is uncertain. Regardless of whether TikTok is as damaging as some parents say, this will likely not be the last attempt at legal action against the app.