The state of Iowa is suing TikTok, alleging that the social media firm misleads dad and mom concerning the sorts of content material out there to younger customers.

The lawsuit from Iowa Legal professional Common Brenna Hen accuses TikTok of internet hosting “sexual content material, medicine, alcohol, intense profanity, self-harm messages, and different X-rated content material,” making movies that aren’t age acceptable simply accessible for kids and youths within the state. “TikTok represents to Iowa dad and mom and Iowa youngsters that inappropriate content material on its platform, together with medicine, nudity, alcohol, and profanity, is ‘rare,’” the lawsuit states, slamming these claims as “lies.”

The state particularly takes situation with TikTok’s age score in app marketplaces. In accordance with Apple, an app with a 12+ score within the App Retailer could embrace “rare gentle language; frequent or intense cartoon, fantasy or sensible violence; gentle or rare mature or suggestive themes; and simulated playing which will not be appropriate for kids underneath the age of 12.”

In the midst of its personal analysis into what a 13-year-old could be uncovered to on the app, the state notes that it simply surfaced content material on TikTok that included “girls
dancing provocatively in thong bikinis, together with in close-up butt and crotch photographs,” jungle juice recipes and recommendation about utilizing marijuana and psilocybin. Whereas thong bikinis won’t strike worry within the coronary heart of all dad and mom, the lawsuit additionally notes that the AG’s workplace discovered movies selling self hurt, suicide and consuming issues — all harmful types of content material which have introduced social media apps into intense scrutiny from regulators in recent times.

For Apple, the subsequent age score up is 17+, which opens the door for extra “offensive language,” sexual content material, nudity, alcohol and medicines. Offering age scores for social apps that floor infinite waves of area of interest algorithmic user-generated content material has at all times been extra of an artwork than a science, however Iowa argues that TikTok deliberately misrepresents itself to folks.

In suing TikTok, Iowa is looking for an injunction underneath the state’s Shopper Fraud Act to power the corporate to finish “its misleading, deceptive, false and unfair statements and conduct” associated to the content material dad and mom count on given TikTok’s personal group pointers and its age score in Apple’s App Retailer in addition to Google Play and Microsoft’s software program retailer.

The lawsuit additionally criticizes TikTok’s age-restricted mode designed for youthful customers, alleging that the mode fails to adequately filter out mature content material:

“Restricted Mode doesn’t work and has by no means labored the way in which TikTok claims it does. When Restricted Mode is enabled, customers—even customers logged in as 13-year olds— can see mature content material (sexual content material, nudity, mature and suggestive themes, profanity, and content material associated to alcohol, tobacco and medicines) on the TikTok app, together with content material served within the algorithmically-driven For You Feed the place customers haven’t explicitly requested it.”

TikTok touts Restricted Mode, one in all its security instruments for fogeys, as “restrict[ing] publicity to content material that will not be appropriate for everybody, for instance, as a result of it accommodates mature or complicated themes.”

The Iowa lawsuit is the newest state-level push in opposition to the social media firm. Final 12 months, Montana’s governor focused TikTok over issues concerning the app’s ties to China, however a choose blocked the statewide ban, which was set to enter impact in 2024. Iowa is the newest state to sue the app over issues across the content material it serves to underage customers, becoming a member of Indiana, Arkansas and Utah.