DES MOINES, Iowa – Attorney General Brenna Bird sued TikTok for claiming the social media platform deceives Iowans, particularly parents, by lying about children’s access to inappropriate content on its app.
“TikTok has kept parents in the dark,” said Attorney General Bird. “It’s time we shine a light on TikTok for exposing young children to graphic materials such as sexual content, self-harm, illegal drug use, and worse. TikTok has sneaked past parental blocks by misrepresenting the severity of its content. But no longer. As a mom and prosecutor, I am committed to equipping parents with information to keep their kids safe and to holding TikTok accountable.”
The lawsuit explains that TikTok: claims a “12+” rating in Apple’s App Store, despite frequent and intense adult content, including:
- Sexual content and nudity
- Profanity and crude humor
- Mature and suggestive themes
- Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use
The lawsuit also claims the app works around parental controls on Apple devices by rating its app “12+.” The Attorney General’s office also claims TikTok violates App Store guidelines by saying harmful content is “infrequent/mild” when it is actually “frequent/intense. The lawsuit also states TikTok recommends inappropriate content to children as young as 13.
The Attorney General’s office argues TikTok’s deception violates the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. The lawsuit aims to stop TikTok from misleading parents and users about the availability of inappropriate content on the app. It also challenges TikTok’s misleading statements about TikTok’s parental controls, both in the platform’s Community Guidelines and in the Google and Microsoft app stores.
Read the lawsuit below:
As-Filed-TikTok-Complaint
