Lawyers for TikTok, A.G.’s Office to Appear in Court Today

Social Media,

The Arkansas Attorney General’s office and lawyers representing social media giant TikTok are set to appear in state court this afternoon as part of one of the A.G.’s lawsuits alleging TikTok violated state consumer protection laws.

With an estimated one billion users worldwide and 135 million in the U.S., TikTok is considered by some to be the most popular social media platform in the world. However, last year Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed two lawsuits accusing TikTok of violating Arkansas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

One of the lawsuits alleges that TikTok failed to fully disclose that TikTok is subject to Chinese law — including “laws that mandate secret cooperation with intelligence activities of the People’s Republic of China.”

The other lawsuit — which is the subject of Wednesday’s court hearing — alleges the social media giant violated the Deceptive Trade Practices Act by promoting “intensely sexualized” content — including content that sexualizes children — on its platform.

The lawsuit calls the TikTok app “a Chinese ‘Trojan Horse’ unleashed on unsuspecting American consumers,” and notes that “tens of millions of minors use TikTok in the United States.”

Once on the TikTok app, the Arkansas Attorney General’s office writes that TikTok’s algorithm “force-feeds” many children a non-stop diet of objectionable content.

Some of the objectionable content TikTok promotes to children includes:

  • Content depicting alcohol, tobacco, and drugs
  • Sexual content
  • Nudity
  • Suggestive themes
  • Violence
  • Intense profanity and obscenity

The lawsuit also alleges much of this content is available to teenagers even when using the app’s Restricted Mode that is intended to filter inappropriate material.

The A.G.’s legal complaint notes that TikTok’s algorithm actually promotes this content regardless of the user’s age — meaning that many children using TikTok may be exposed to this type of material routinely.

The lawsuit alleges that TikTok has downplayed just how prevalent this type of material is on its platform and has deceptively labeled the app as being appropriate for ages 13 and up when TikTok really should be rated 17+.

The A.G.’s complaint against TikTok concludes by asking the court to stop TikTok’s actions and award the state up to $10,000 per violation of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act in accordance with state law.

You can read the Arkansas Attorney General’s entire complaint here.

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WSJ Highlights Dangers of Drugged Driving

Marijuana

Marijuana affects motorists longer than many realize, according to a column published Monday in the Wall Street Journal.

The story notes,

Pot affects you differently than alcohol, can linger in your system for longer, and it can be harder to figure out when it’s safe to drive. Research from the University of California, San Diego, and elsewhere suggests you should wait at least four hours before getting behind the wheel after smoking one joint. Wait even longer—at least six to eight hours—after ingesting a cannabis edible. 

The story cites multiple studies about the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana — including a 2021 study in the American Journal of Public Health that found car crash fatalities involving marijuana rose from 9% in 2000 to 21.5% in 2018.

Nationwide, marijuana legalization has caused serious problems in other states.

Authorities in California, Oregon, and other states continue to seize marijuana grown and sold illegally on the black market.

Research from California found infants were 35% more likely to die within the first year of birth if their mothers used marijuana heavily.

Regular marijuana use has been associated with lung problems and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. A 2022 study published in the journal of the Radiological Society of North America found marijuana smoke may actually be more harmful to lungs than cigarette smoke.

States that have legalized marijuana have seen increases in drugged driving and traffic injuries as well.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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

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