DES MOINES, Iowa – Attorney General of Iowa Brenna Bird filed to change TikTok’s app store age rating to protect kids while the lawsuit filed in January progresses.
Bird sued TikTok claiming the social media platform deceives Iowans, particularly parents, by lying about children’s access to inappropriate content on its app.
The lawsuit makes the case that TikTok violates App Store guidelines by claiming a “12+” age rating despite containing frequent and intense adult material such as sexual content, profanity, self-harm, drugs, and binge drinking.
The temporary injunction filed will require TikTok to change its App Store age rating to “17+” while the lawsuit is ongoing.
“It’s past time for TikTok to be honest with parents,” Bird said. “As a mom and prosecutor, I am deeply disturbed by TikTok’s lying to parents and recommending explicit videos to kids, including videos packed with sexual content and self-harm. That’s why I’m taking action to make TikTok raise its App Store age rating to ‘17+.’ I will do everything in my power to stop TikTok’s deception and keep kids safe online.”
The lawsuit claims 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 videos on the app. It also challenges what it says are misleading statements made by TikTok about their parental controls, both in the platform’s Community Guidelines and in the Google and Microsoft app stores.
Read the lawsuit below:
As-Filed-TikTok-ComplaintRead the filing for the temporary injunction below:
240320-P-Motion-for-Temporary-Injunction
