Attorneys general in at least eight US states are debating whether the hugely popular TikTok app is harmful to the mental or physical health of youngsters. They have announcement March 2 include ByteDance’s social network in their similar investigation launched against Instagram in November 2021.
Joe Biden called on Congress to protect young people from social media
The purpose of the investigations is to determine if the platform, its design, its operation are likely to cause mental or physical disorders in the youngest, the heart of the public of TikTok. If necessary, the investigation will also seek to determine if ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, based in Beijing, is aware of the nuisances that its service could cause.
Tech giants face Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
California Attorney General Rob Bronta said, Our kids are growing up in the age of social media – and many feel like they have to compete with the filtered versions of reality they see on their screens “. He added, ” We know this has a devastating effect on children’s mental health and well-being. But we don’t know which social media companies knew about these harms and when. “.
Specifically, prosecutors in California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont will check whether TikTok and Instagram violate their respective consumer protection and life-threatening laws. from others.
The day before the prosecutors’ announcement, President Joe Biden called on Congress during the State of the Union address to further protect young people on social media. He called for a ban on the excessive collection of their data and an end to targeted advertising on their profile.
TikTok, collateral victim of Facebook Files
Originally the prosecutors’ proceedings only involved Instagram. It had been triggered at the end of 2021 following the revelations of the whistleblower Frances Haugen and the wall street journal. Among the many revelations on the Meta platforms when the Facebook Files were published, those concerning Instagram particularly shocked public opinion.
Internal company documents showed that it was aware that Instagram could have negative consequences for young girls, leading to depression or eating disorders. Meta assured that he had taken measures to deal with it and that the prosecutors’ investigation was based on a poor appreciation of the specific problems of social networks.
For the moment, TikTok wished to show all its goodwill by declaring “ We care deeply about building an experience that helps protect and support the well-being of our community, and we appreciate the state attorneys general’s focus on the safety of young users. “.
The platform detailed measures taken to protect the youngest. Among them, stopping notifications at night for certain age groups. She said she was eager to provide detailed information on these devices to the attorneys general.