Is TikTok Safe For Kids? Iowa's Legal Action Sparks A Fresh Debate

The Attorney General of Iowa has initiated a lawsuit against the widely popular video-sharing social media app TikTok, accusing the platform of misleading parents regarding the extent of inappropriate content accessible to young users.

What Happened: The lawsuit was lodged by Attorney General Brenna Bird in a state court in Polk County on Wednesday. The suit is directed against both TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, alleging that they understated the amount of content on their platform that features drugs, nudity, alcohol, and profanity, reported Reuters. 

“TikTok has kept parents in the dark. It's time we shine a light on TikTok for exposing young children to graphic materials such as sexual content, self-harm, illegal drug use, and worse,” Bird remarked.

See Also: From Fitness Gear To Social Media, Peloton Partners With TikTok In A New Venture

The lawsuit, which alleges consumer fraud, is seeking financial damages and a court injunction to restrain TikTok from partaking in deceptive and unfair practices. 

TikTok has countered by claiming that it has stringent safeguards for young users, including parental controls and time restrictions for those under the age of 18. The company vowed to continue prioritizing the safety of its community.

Why It Matters: This lawsuit is merely the latest in a growing list of legal challenges faced by TikTok in the U.S. Like other social media platforms, TikTok has been under escalating global pressure from regulatory bodies to better shield children from harmful content. 

Parallel lawsuits have been filed in Arkansas and Utah, while other states are conducting their own investigations, the report noted. 

Last year, several U.S. states imposed laws that restrict underaged users from accessing social media without parental consent. TikTok CEO Shou Chew has also previously testified before Congress regarding the company's data handling and security measures. 

However, despite Chew’s reassurances, legal actions such as the one initiated by Iowa suggest that regulators are not completely placated.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.

Read Next: Threat For Amazon? TikTok Planning Massive US E-Commerce Expansion With $17.5B Revenue Goal: Report

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo by Eliseu Geisler on Shutterstock