TikTok Seeks Arkansas School Documents

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Last week, attorneys for TikTok served subpoenas on public school officials in Northwest Arkansas requesting documents and testimony that may be relevant to a lawsuit over the social media giant’s operations.

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

But TikTok has come under fire for struggling to protect private user data from entities in China — including the Chinese Communist Party — and the platform has been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” online.

In 2023, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a consumer protection lawsuit against TikTok in Cleburne County Circuit Court.

The A.G.’s legal complaint 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 app, the Attorney General’s office writes that TikTok’s algorithm “force-feeds” objectionable content to users.

The lawsuit says some of the objectionable content TikTok promotes to teens includes “illegal drug use, sex, violence, and self-harm,” and alleges that TikTok deceptively labeled its app as being appropriate for ages 13 and up when it really should have been rated 17+.

Last Tuesday, attorneys for TikTok served subpoenas to public school officials in Springdale requesting research, studies, communications, policies, programs, public statements, complaints, and other records concerning TikTok and other online platforms — particularly the effects these platforms allegedly have on Arkansas youth.

To be clear, the Springdale schools and officials are not being sued and are not accused of any wrongdoing in these documents. Rather, the subpoenas appear aimed at obtaining documents and deposition testimony that the attorneys may use in defending against Attorney General Griffin’s lawsuit.

As we have said repeatedly, there is growing evidence that social media platforms may deliberately addict users, promote objectionable content, and put people’s personal information at risk.

Social media platforms are more than just phone apps or websites. These are multibillion-dollar businesses, and the adults who profit from them need to be held to the same standards as other business leaders.

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

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Most Americans Want to Keep Kids Off Social Media

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A recent survey from the Pew Research Center shows most Americans support banning children under 16 from using social media.

Between Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms, most teens and young adults are on some form of social media. The U.S. Surgeon General says 95% of American teenagers use social media, and about one-third say they use it “almost constantly.” But parents, policymakers, and pundits have raised concerns about the harm that social media can cause to kids.

According the survey Pew conducted, 56% of U.S. adults support a ban on social media use for anyone under 16. Only 21% oppose it. Pew found support for the ban is bipartisan and is strong across every major age group. Among parents with children under 18, with 65% support keeping kids off social media.

Besides banning social media for children under 16, adults support other restrictions on social media platforms. Eighty-five percent support requiring parental consent before a child can create a social media account. Seventy-eight percent support age verification requirements for social media platforms. Another 78% support setting time limits on how long minors can use these platforms. All of these figures are up from past surveys — which shows more and more Americans believe social media platforms need guardrails when it comes to children.

A growing body of evidence shows that — by design — social media platforms are not appropriate for children.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed a lawsuit accusing Facebook and Instagram of using algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time.” TikTok has been accused of serving kids a steady “diet of darkness” online. Courts in New Mexico and California have already found Meta liable for harming children on its platforms.

Social media is more than just websites or phone apps. These are multibillion dollar businesses with tremendous influence. The adults who own and profit from these businesses have a responsibility to protect children on their platforms.

Arkansas has been ahead of the curve on this issue. The Arkansas Legislature passed laws designed to protect children online, and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has sued Meta and TikTok in state court. In fact, Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable and protect children online than Attorney General Griffin. But more needs to be done.

Pew’s survey confirms that adults understand these platforms are not safe for kids and support stronger protections for children online. Policymakers need to be sure those protections are put in place.

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

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Meta Asks Congress for Immunity from Child-Harm Lawsuits

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Social media giant Meta reportedly is asking Congress for special protections from child-harm lawsuits in state courts.

Meta is the parent company that owns Facebook and Instagram, and over the past two decades it has grown into one of the largest social media corporations in the world. But the company has come under fire for failing to protect children on its platform.

In March, a New Mexico jury ruled that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on Instagram and Facebook. Jurors found thousands of violations, with penalties of $375 million. The day after that ruling, a Los Angeles jury awarded $3 million in damages to a young woman who said she became addicted to Meta and YouTube as a child, and recommended another $3 million in punitive damages after finding the companies acted with malice. Evidence presented at trial showed that tech executives knew their platforms were dangerous for children, but kept that information hidden. The companies face additional lawsuits from other children and families who say they suffered harm on these platforms as well.

Instead of taking steps to make its social media products safe for children, Reuters reports Meta is lobbying Congress for protection from child-harm lawsuits under the federal Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The language would make online companies “immune from suit or liability under state law with respect to all claims ​for loss caused by, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the safety or privacy of individuals under the age of eighteen online or otherwise related to the provisions” of KOSA.

Writing this into federal law could prevent AI platforms and social media companies from being held accountable when their negligence or misconduct harms teens who use these platforms.

All of this is significant for Arkansas, because Attorney General Tim Griffin has sued Meta in state court for endangering children.

The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office has alleged that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are built around algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time,” and that this exploitation is especially true of young users with developing brains.

Social media platforms are a multibillion dollar industry. The adults who own and profit from these companies have a responsibility to protect children on their platforms.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable and protect children online than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. Our federal policymakers need to do their part to hold these companies accountable and protect children as well.

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

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