ATLANTA — The state of Georgia has joined 22 other states in suing the social media platform TikTok, saying that the popular short-form video app is designed to be addictive to kids and harms their mental health.
According to the suit, the algorithm is “dopamine-inducing.” The suit also claims that TikTok was originally created to be intentionally addictive so the company could trap young users into excessive use and keep them on its app for several hours.
The lawsuits stem from a national investigation into TikTok, which was launched in March 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from many states, including New York, California, Kentucky and New Jersey. All of the complaints were filed in state courts.
At the heart of each lawsuit is the TikTok algorithm, which powers what users see on the platform by populating the app’s main “For You” feed with content tailored to people’s interests. The lawsuits note TikTok design features that they say addict children to the platform, such as the ability to scroll endlessly through content, push notifications that come with built-in “buzzes” and face filters that create unattainable appearances for users.