Why is TikTok being investigated?

INVESTIGATORS are investigating TikTok to determine if it violates state consumer protection laws.

As the platform becomes more popular, the harmful effects may be detrimental to the mental health of users.

Why is Tik Tok being investigated?

An investigation into TikTok's methods to allegedly lure users onto the app is underway after President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address that social media platforms need to be "(held) accountable for the national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit.”

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement, “As children and teens already grapple with issues of anxiety, social pressure, and depression, we cannot allow social media to further harm their physical health and mental well-being.

"State attorneys general have an imperative to protect young people and seek more information about how companies like TikTok are influencing their daily lives.”

Attorney generals in California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont are investigating how targeted advertising on TikTok might affect the mental health of young users.

“We care deeply about building an experience that helps to protect and support the well-being of our community, and appreciate that the state attorneys general are focusing on the safety of younger users,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

“We look forward to providing information on the many safety and privacy protections we have for teens.”

What prompted the investigation?

Concern for child safety on social media was brought to light in 2021 when Frances Haugen who worked at Facebook leaked internal documents to the senate.

Haugen worked on Facebook's civic misinformation team and revealed research was hidden that showed teenagers felt worse about themselves after using the platform.

The senate has since begun working to investigate all social media platforms, with TikTok being the latest added to that list.

Biden received a round of applause from Congress members during his State of the Union address on March 1 when adamantly said something need to be done to protect young users on social media.

"It’s time to strengthen privacy protections; ban targeted advertising to children, demand tech companies stop collecting personal data on our children."

What have investigators determined thus far?

TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance which tightened restrictions for those under 18 years old when the company went under scrutiny from the senate in 2021.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong cited “reckless viral challenges” on TikTok as a major source of concern.

He added that while TikTok has made some moves to limit harm to children, “our investigation will look at what TikTok knew about the risks to our children, and precisely what they have been doing to keep our kids online.”

"TikTok threatens the safety, mental health, and well-being of our kids," Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said at a hearing on March 2.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a nationwide news release, "Our children are growing up in the age of social media — and many feel like they need to measure up to the filtered versions of reality that they see on their screens.

"We know this takes a devastating toll on children's mental health and well-being."

TikTok has an estimated 84.9million users in 2022 in the US alone, and more than 1billion users globally, reaching 150 countries.