State attorney generals from California, Florida and Kentucky are among the group of lawyers investigating the ByteDance-owned social platform.
The group of attorney generals is looking to see if TikTok’s designs, operations and marketing activities negatively impact children, teens and young adults. According to Attorney General of Massachusetts – Maura Healey, the investigation would focus on “the methods and techniques” used by TikTok to “boost young user engagement, including increasing the duration of time spent on the platform.”
TikTok spokesperson Ben Rathe responded positively to this investigation and said the company is looking forward to “providing information on the many safety and privacy protections” for its teen users. However, this investigation could impact the broader social media scene beyond TikTok.
Other platforms, including Snapchat and Meta have been taking cues and even copying TikTok when designing new features and marketing the app. As a result, if the TikTok investigation results in legislation or other actions, other apps copying their strategies could face increased scrutiny.
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