On October 8, 2024, a bipartisan coalition of 14 states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok, alleging the app's design is intentionally addictive and harmful to youth mental health. The lawsuits cite features that promote excessive use and misrepresent the platform's safety for children, seeking financial penalties and regulatory changes.
The lawsuits arise from a national investigation initiated in March 2022 by a coalition of state attorneys general. They aim to address concerns about TikTok's impact on youth mental health and its alleged exploitation of minors through addictive features and unregulated financial transactions.
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What Are the Health Risks of Social Media for Kids?
As social media becomes increasingly integrated into the lives of children and teenagers, concerns about its impact on mental health and safety are rising. Recent lawsuits against major platforms highlight the urgent need for awareness and action. Here are some common questions about the effects of social media on youth and what can be done to mitigate risks.
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What is sextortion and how does it affect young people?
Sextortion is a growing concern in today's digital landscape, particularly among young people. As social media platforms become more integrated into daily life, the risks associated with online interactions increase. Understanding sextortion and its implications is crucial for parents, educators, and young users themselves. Below, we explore common questions surrounding this issue and provide insights into how to navigate online safety.
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Why Are States Suing TikTok Over Youth Addiction?
A coalition of 14 states and the District of Columbia has filed lawsuits against TikTok, claiming the app's design is harmful to youth mental health. This legal action raises important questions about social media regulation and the responsibilities of platforms like TikTok. Below, we explore the key issues surrounding these lawsuits and their potential impact on the future of social media.
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How Does TikTok Impact Youth Mental Health?
The recent lawsuits against TikTok by a coalition of states highlight growing concerns about the app's impact on youth mental health. With claims that its design is intentionally addictive, many parents and guardians are left wondering how to navigate this digital landscape. Below, we explore key questions surrounding TikTok's influence on young users and what can be done to mitigate potential harms.
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TikTok/Douyin is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based Internet technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming.
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Facebook, Inc. is an American social media conglomerate corporation based in Menlo Park, California. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, along with his fellow roommates and students at Harvard College, who were Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk
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ByteDance Ltd. is a Chinese multinational internet technology company headquartered in Beijing. It was founded by Zhang Yiming in 2012. ByteDance is reportedly worth over US$100 billion as of May 2020.
ByteDance's core product, Toutiao, is a content platf
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California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.5 million residents across a total area of about 163,696 square miles, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area, and is also the world's thirty-fourt
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New York is a state in the Northeastern United States. New York was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States. With more than 19 million residents in 2019, it is the fourth-most-populous state.
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Texas is a state in the South Central Region of the United States. It is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population.
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Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States.
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YouTube is an American online video-sharing platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. Three former PayPal employees—Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim—created the service in February 2005.
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Brian Lawrence Schwalb (born 1967), is an American politician and attorney serving as the attorney general of the District of Columbia. Schwalb won the primary election in 2022 against Bruce Spiva and Ryan Jones. Prior to becoming attorney general, Schwal
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The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil U.S. antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection.
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Nebraska is a state that lies both in the Great Plains and in the Midwestern United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the s
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Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state located in the Southern United States. Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of the 50 United States.
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New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania;
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Snapchat is an American multimedia messaging app developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before they become inaccessible to their
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New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States of America; its capital is Santa Fe, which was founded in 1610 as capital of Nuevo México, while its largest city is Albuquerque with its accompanying metropolitan area.
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The United States Department of Justice, also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice in the United States, and is equivale