A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Was TikTok designed to make young people addicted to it?
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Fourteen state attorneys general think so. They are suing the popular video app, claiming it harms young people and misled the public about that.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR tech correspondent Bobby Allyn has been following this story. So, Bobby, states have been investigating child safety on TikTok for more than two years now. What did they find?
BOBBY ALLYN, BYLINE: Yeah, you know, quite a bit. I mean, they say all sorts of features on TikTok are intended to draw in young people and keep them hooked on the app's endless feed - right? - this infinite scroll that we hear so much about. And the states actually obtained a internal communication from TikTok employees, and one TikTok staffer said the app's algorithm had a slot machine effect on young people. And I actually talked to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and he described some of the other internal emails they obtained.
ROB BONTA: One TikTok executive referred to American teens as a golden audience - also stated, quote, "it's better to have young people as an early adopter." They deployed a suite of manipulative features that exploited young people's psychological vulnerabilities.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. So that's how TikTok discussed young people internally. But how did the company present itself publicly?
ALLYN: Yeah, you know, very differently. This really gets at the heart of the case, right? I mean, what the states are arguing here is that TikTok violated consumer protection laws by knowing the app was addicting teens - and, in some cases, causing harm - but, you know, was telling the world publicly that it was keeping teens safe. And, you know, when I asked TikTok for a response to these allegations, a spokesman referred to privacy settings and parental controls and screen time reminders the app has. But California's Bonta said, yeah, yeah, we know about those things, right? We looked into them in our investigation, and those tools - yeah, we just weren't very impressed by them.
BONTA: They are essentially empty gestures with very little to no effect.
ALLYN: And, you know, A, TikTok will be fighting back in 14 separate state courts here because there was 14 state lawsuits filed as part of this action. And a major question is going to be, are TikTok safeguards effective? And if not, did the company lie to the public about what it knew about some of the dangers of the app?
MARTÍNEZ: And what do those attorneys general say those dangers are?
ALLYN: Yeah. The states point to features like TikTok's beauty filters. They enhance someone's image to look, you know, younger, skinnier, or apply makeup using AI. And the lawsuit says TikTok knew its beauty filter could increase the risk of body image issues, anxiety, depression. Look, this isn't unique to TikTok, right? We all know that many social media apps have beauty filters and other features that can be described as addictive. But the states here are concerned with TikTok because of just how popular the app is with young people, right? The suit also puts the spotlight on TikTok's livestreaming feature. Authorities found that it actually can be used among underage kids in pretty inappropriate ways. They compared the livestream here to a virtual strip club.
MARTÍNEZ: So, Bobby, we know a new federal law will require TikTok to be sold to a non-Chinese buyer by early next year or be banned all over the United States. TikTok is going to challenge this law in court, a ruling maybe by December. But isn't TikTok in the attention-grabbing biz, so are they being penalized for doing their job well? I mean, at what point do parents need to be held responsible?
ALLYN: I think TikTok, like all social media apps, are engaged in a very competitive world, which is the attention economy. All these social media apps are trying to grab young people's attention and keep it retained. It's a fair point that maybe parents should have some kind of role there. But parents say it's a really complicated world of trying to keep your kids accountable on social media. TikTok says they're doing what they can. The AG is saying they know a lot more, and they're not revealing it. And it's just really messy.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Bobby Allyn. Bobby, thanks.
ALLYN: Thanks, A.
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