TikTok logo. (Photo = Yonhap news)

 

[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Sangjin] Thirteen U.S. states and Washington, D.C. have filed a lawsuit against the Chinese video platform TikTok, claiming it harms the mental health of young people.

According to the Associated Press, on October 8, a coalition of state attorneys general from the thirteen states and D.C. requested the imposition of fines and punitive damages against TikTok.

This lawsuit stems from a nationwide investigation launched in March 2022 by the coalition of attorneys general from New York, California, Kentucky, New Jersey, and D.C.

The coalition argues in the lawsuit that "TikTok's algorithm is designed to make it addictive for children, which adversely affects their mental health." Washington Attorney General Brian Schwalb, one of the participants in the lawsuit, pointed out in the complaint that "TikTok profits from keeping adolescents addicted to its platform."

 

 

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