Utah has initiated a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the platform of promoting harmful social media habits to children.
This move by Utah claims that TikTok lures children into extended usage, conceals the true nature of its safety measures, and misrepresents its autonomy from its parent company in China, ByteDance, as informed by The Associated Press. With this lawsuit, Utah follows in the footsteps of Arkansas and Indiana, which have lodged similar legal complaints against the platform.
Utah's Governor Spencer Cox remarked in a press briefing on the issue, "Our children's well-being is paramount. We are committed to ensuring that these corporations are held responsible for their actions, and we will take all necessary steps to safeguard our young citizens."
Previously, in December, Governor Cox had prohibited TikTok's use within the state's governmental bodies, attributing his decision to potential security threats linked with the app and its ties to the Chinese government. He had commented, "Our concern revolves around the data that TikTok might relay to China, potentially jeopardizing our cybersecurity.
Therefore, all state-operated devices have been instructed to remove the app. Our primary objective is to secure the trust of Utah residents in our digital systems."
Several other states, including Texas, South Dakota, and Maryland, have similarly limited TikTok's use within their governmental sectors.
Responding to the developments, a representative from TikTok shared that the platform upholds "top-tier safety measures for our younger users", highlighting features like a "60-minute time cap for users below 18 and parental oversight for adolescent accounts". The spokesperson further emphasized TikTok's ongoing efforts to "maintain a safe environment, addressing challenges prevalent in the digital domain."
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