More than a dozen U.S. states have sued TikTok, alleging the platform contributes to a mental health crisis among teenagers by using addictive features and misleading users about its safety. TikTok disputes these claims, and the lawsuits seek to hold the company accountable and impose financial penalties.

More than a dozen states in the United States have filed lawsuits against TikTok, claiming that the social media platform plays a role in the mental health crisis affecting teenagers.

A bipartisan group of 14 attorneys general from various states asserts that TikTok employs addictive features to captivate children and has intentionally misrepresented the safety of extended use of the app.

In response to the lawsuits, TikTok expressed disappointment, stating that it believes many of the allegations are "inaccurate and misleading."

This legal battle comes as TikTok faces another challenge: a law passed by Congress in April that would ban the platform in the U.S. unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, agrees to divest.

The lawsuit, filed in New York on Tuesday, contends that "TikTok knows that compulsive use of and other harmful effects of its platform are wreaking havoc on the mental health of millions of American children and teenagers." It further claims that despite this awareness, TikTok continues to falsely promote its platform as "safe" and "appropriate for children and teenagers."

New York Attorney General Letitia James highlighted that young people across the nation have died or sustained injuries while participating in TikTok "challenges." Many others, she claims, are experiencing increased feelings of sadness, anxiety, and depression due to the platform's addictive features. She referred to the case of a 15-year-old boy who died in Manhattan while "subway surfing," a risky behavior involving riding on top of a moving subway car. After his death, his mother discovered TikTok videos depicting similar activities on his phone.

"TikTok claims that their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from true," Ms. James said while announcing the lawsuit.

The lawsuit points out several problematic features of TikTok, including notifications that disrupt sleep, disappearing videos that compel users to check the app frequently, and beauty filters that allow users to modify their appearance.

Although TikTok has introduced tools designed to help users manage their screen time and control the content they view, the lawsuit alleges that the platform has misrepresented the effectiveness of these tools.

The legal actions were initiated by 13 states and the District of Columbia, where the attorney general also accused TikTok of operating an unlicensed money transmission business through its "virtual currency" system.

In a statement released on Tuesday, TikTok declared, "We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. We are proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve done to protect teens, and we will continue to update and improve our product."

The lawsuit seeks to prevent TikTok from engaging in the alleged harmful practices and calls for financial penalties.

Similar lawsuits have been brought against Facebook and Instagram regarding their impact on young people's mental health.

These recent lawsuits add to the legal challenges facing the widely popular app, which is estimated to be used multiple times a day by more than half of U.S. teenagers.

States like Texas and Utah have previously filed similar lawsuits against TikTok, focusing on issues of child safety.

In August, the Federal Trade Commission accused TikTok of violating child privacy laws.

Imran Ahmed, the CEO of the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate, expressed hope that this legal action would raise awareness among parents about the risks associated with these platforms and push companies to change their practices. However, he emphasized that Congress needs to strengthen laws to create significant change.

"It sends a signal that there is growing frustration that there are no other mechanisms available to hold these platforms accountable," he noted, adding that attorneys general are doing what they can within their limited resources, but the judicial system's ability to hold these companies accountable is restricted.