Tick Tok is indicted by 13 American states for “damage to youth mental health”

Thirteen American states and chief Washington filed charges against the TikTok platform on Tuesday, accusing the app of containing fast-paced short clips that are damaging young people's mental health by using the platform in such a way that it creates dependence on children.

The indictments were filed after a national investigation into TikTok, which was conducted in March 2022 by a coalition of prosecutors general from two political parties from many countries, which included New York, California, Kentucky and New Jersey. All indictments have been filed in state courts.

At the centre of each indictment is the TikTok algorithm, which determines what users of this platform will see by placing on its main page, called “for you”, content that fits the user's interest. The indictments also point out that the platform has created its characteristics in the form that children depend on, such as the possibility of endlessly following content, attractive announcements, and facial filters that create elusive representations of users.

In the indictment, Washington called the algorithm a dopamine promoter and stressed that it is deliberately designed to cause addiction so that the company can attract the attention of new users so that they can spend hours on this app. TickTok does so although he knows that such actions will cause deep psychological and physical damage, such as anxiety, depression, bodily deformities and other long-term problems, according to the indictment.

“is taking advantage of the fact that this platform is creating dependence on youth”, Washington District Attorney General Brian Schwalal said in an interview.

“We express our deep disagreement with these claims, many of which we believe are inaccurate and create wrong impressions. We are proud of the work we have done to protect young people and will continue to upgrade and improve our” product.TikTok spokesman Alex Haurek said in response to the indictments. “We have shown willingness to work with general prosecutors in the past two years and it is extremely depressing that they took this action instead of working with us in finding constructive solutions to the challenges facing the entire industry”.

The company that owns this social network does not allow children under 13 to register in its main service and limits part of its content to all under the age of 18. But Washington and several other states argued in their indictments that children can easily overcome those restrictions, allowing them access to content to increase despite the company's claims that the platform is safe for children.

“TickTok claims he's safe for young people, but that claim is far from true. In New York and across the country, young people have died or been hurt in trying to realize TikTok's dangerous challenges, and many of them are sad, anxious and depressed because of the characteristics of TikTok that create dependence”In a statement, New York Attorney General Lettia James said.

The indictments also target other aspects of the company.

Washington County accuses TikTok of operating as one Virtually unlicensed “ Allowing people to buy TikTok Coins a virtual currency of this platform and send “TickTok gets 50 percent of the contrusor on these financial transactions, but it's not registered as a platform for financial transactions near the US Treasury Department or district officials, according to the indictment.

Officials say young people are often exploited for sexual content through live transmission at TikTok, which has enabled the app to operate as a virtual strip club without any age restrictions. They say the percentage the company earns from these financial transactions means it benefits from sexual exploitation.

Fourteen general prosecutors said the aim of the indictments is to prevent TikTok from using these characteristics, impose financial penalties for alleged illegal practices and secure compensation for the damaged users.

Many states have filed charges against TikTok and other technological companies in recent years, while awareness of major social networking platforms and the increasing impact they have on young people's lives is increasing. In some cases, challenges have been co-ordinated in ways that resemble the way states were organised in the past against tobacco industries and drugs.

Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton indicted TikTok saying the company is sharing and selling its personal records to minors, violating the law of this state that prohibits such practices. TikTok, who opposes these charges, is facing a similar indictment for data from the US Department of Justice.

In the past, some countries led by Republicans, such as Nebraska, Kansas, New Hampshire, Aeva and Arkansas, have filed lawsuits against the company, some without success, reasoning that they are damaging the mental health of children, exposing them to the content of “appropriate” or allowing young people to be sexually exploited on this platform. Arkansas indicted the YouTube and Meta platform, which is the owner of Facebook and Instagram. These platforms are facing indictments in dozens of other countries on charges of damaging young people's mental health.

TikTok is also facing other national challenges. Under a federal law, which went into effect earlier this year, TikTok could be banned in the United States in mid-January if its own ByteDance company, headquartered in China, does not sell the platform until that timeline.

TickTok and ByteDance are challenging this law in Washington's appeals court. A panel consisting of three judges last month has heard the sides' arguments and is expected to make a decision, which could be filed with the Supreme Court of the United States. / VOA