US: Iowa sues TikTok

According to Reuters news agency, on January 18, the head of the Iowa state attorney general (USA), Ms. Brenna Bird, sued TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, accusing this video -sharing platform of misleading parents, causing their children to access inappropriate content on the application without their knowledge.

Ms Bird said it was time to review TikTok due to its reputation for promoting content involving drugs, nudity, alcohol and vulgar language.

The state of Iowa is seeking financial penalties and an injunction to prevent TikTok from repeating the deceptive practices. Bird is also seeking damages for damages caused to Iowa consumers, according to the lawsuit.

For its part, TikTok asserted that the platform "has taken measures to protect young people", including creating parental controls and time limits for users under 18. TikTok's announcement emphasized: "We are committed to addressing challenges and will continue to prioritize community safety."

This is the latest lawsuit in the US against TikTok. Like many other social media companies, TikTok is facing pressure from regulators around the world to protect children from harmful content. The US states of Arkansas and Utah have also filed similar lawsuits. A judge in Indiana dismissed the TikTok lawsuit in November 2023, while other states are investigating.

As planned, on January 31, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will, along with other social media company CEOs, testify before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on allegations of exploiting child sexual content.

SOUTH

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