March of 2027 Could Finally See TikTok in the Dock

Arkansas’ lawsuit against social media giant TikTok could go to trial in March of next year, according to an amended court scheduling order filed earlier this month.

With an estimated billion users worldwide — including approximately 135 million in the U.S. — TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet. Its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, has been valued at $300 billion.

But for years, TikTok has been under scrutiny for struggling to protect private user data from entities in China such as the Chinese Communist Party. The platform has also been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” online.

In 2023, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sued TikTok, calling it “a Chinese ‘Trojan Horse’ unleashed on unsuspecting American consumers,” and highlighting how TikTok’s algorithm “force-feeds” objectionable content to users — including “illegal drug use, sex, violence, and self-harm.”

Griffin’s team says that TikTok deceptively labeled its app as being appropriate for ages 13 and up when it really should have been rated 17+.

The lawsuit argues that TikTok violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and that TikTok should be held liable in court.

It’s taken three and a half years to reach this point, but Arkansas’ lawsuit against TikTok could go to trial March 15-29 of 2027, under a scheduling order filed on September 3.

That’s assuming TikTok doesn’t decide to settle its consumer protection lawsuits the same way Facebook has.

Last month, social media company Meta — which owns Facebook and Instagram — agreed to settle a long list of lawsuits over teen social media addiction for a total of up to $17.1 billion. That settlement resolved a lawsuit Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed in 2023.

The lawsuits against Meta were similar to lawsuits TikTok faces in court. TikTok has been under pressure to follow Meta’s lead, but so far the company has refused to do so.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to fight for children online and hold tech companies accountable than Attorney General Tim Griffin.

Besides Meta and TikTok, Griffin’s office has also taken social media company Snap to court. His team has defended laws designed to keep kids safe online, and has fought to protect Arkansans’ private data.

Tech companies are more than just phone apps and websites. These are multibillion-dollar businesses. The people who profit from them have a responsibility to protect the users on their platforms.

We appreciate Arkansas Attorney General Griffin’s office for continuing to pursue court cases like the TikTok lawsuit.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.