Texas Suing TikTok For Violating New Child Privacy Law

The Lone Star State is going after one of the world’s biggest social media platforms. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging the company violated the state’s new child privacy law.

Texas’ Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act went into effect a little over a month ago and states that social media platforms are required to verify the ages of younger users and offer parental control features, including the ability for parents to opt their children out of data collection.

Texas is joining over a dozen states and the District of Columbia in suing the popular short-form video app TikTok, as reported by the Associated Press (via WRAL).

TikTok’s algorithm is the specific cause for concern, as it controls what users see by populating the main “For You” feed with tailored content. The lawsuits also point out design features they claim make children addicted to the app. The design includes endless scrolling, push notifications with built-in “buzzes,” and face filters that “create unattainable appearances for users.”

TikTok does not allow children younger than 13 years old to use the main service and restricts some content for everyone under the age of 18. However, several states claim in their filing that kids can easily bypass those restrictions.