New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta led a bipartisan coalition of 14 attorneys general in filing lawsuits against TikTok on October 8, 2024, alleging the platform harmed children’s mental health through addictive features and violated COPPA by collecting and monetizing data from users under 13 without parental consent. The lawsuits seek to halt TikTok’s harmful practices, impose financial penalties including disgorgement of profits from illegal practices, and secure damages for affected users. TikTok is also accused of misrepresenting the effectiveness of its safety tools and failing to warn users about harms from dangerous viral challenges and beauty filters.
The coalition seeks an injunction to stop TikTok’s harmful and illegal practices and modify its addictive platform features, monetary penalties including disgorgement of all profits derived from fraudulent and illegal practices, and damages for users harmed by the platform. No final remedies have been imposed as the lawsuit is in its initial filing stage.
In-house legal teams should audit all contracts with social media platforms and online service providers that collect user data, with a focus on provisions related to minors’ data. Ensure that vendors certify compliance with COPPA and obtain verifiable parental consent for any data collection from users under 13. Contracts should also require accurate disclosure of platform features, including safety tools and addictive design elements like autoplay, and prohibit misrepresentations about data practices. Additionally, include clauses that require vendors to notify the company of any viral challenges or features that pose risks to users, especially minors, and mandate data deletion for underage users discovered on the platform.
Entity
TikTok
Industry
Social MediaOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2024/attorney-general-james-sues-tiktok-harming-childrens-mental-health
3 redacted complaint signed 003
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/3_redacted_complaint_signed-003.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"October 8, 2024"
"New York Attorney General Letitia James"
"filing lawsuits against the social media platform TikTok"
"TikTok"
"Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)"
"New York’s consumer protection laws"
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against TikTok for deceptively promoting its app as safe for children despite the prevalence of inappropriate and explicit content. The action alleges violations of the SCOPE Act, which protects children's online privacy, and follows a previous lawsuit regarding data privacy issues.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced that a coalition of 22 attorneys general is escalating efforts to force TikTok to comply with a multistate investigation into harm to youth mental health. TikTok has failed to fully comply with court orders to preserve evidence and produce documents, impeding the investigation. The coalition is urging a Tennessee court to enforce its orders.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against TikTok for violating the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act by sharing minors’ personal identifying information without parental consent and failing to provide parents with tools to manage their children’s account privacy settings. The lawsuit seeks civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and injunctive relief to prevent future violations. TikTok is accused of prioritizing profit over the online safety and privacy of Texas children.
New Jersey is co-leading a multistate investigation into TikTok to determine if the platform violates consumer protection laws by using techniques that increase engagement among young users, potentially causing mental and physical harm. The investigation will examine what TikTok knows about these harms to children, teenagers, and young adults.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong requested a meeting with TikTok leadership to address the harmful impact of viral challenges like 'Devious Licks' and 'Slap a Teacher' on student and educator safety. The AG criticized TikTok's enforcement of its terms of service and urged reforms to prevent the spread of dangerous content.
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert on May 18, 2026, warning residents of potential price gouging by transportation service providers during the Long Island Rail Road strike. The alert reminds businesses that New York’s price gouging laws prohibit unconscionable price increases on essential services like transportation during market disruptions. No specific privacy violations or enforcement actions against individual entities were announced in the alert.