USA – The popular social media platform TikTok has been accused of harming and failing to protect young people in a slew of new lawsuits filed by several US states. The lawsuits, filed on Tuesday in New York, California, and 11 other states, as well as the District of Columbia, add to continuing legal challenges the Chinese-owned company is already embroiled in in the United States. The latest filings accuse the company of intentionally using addictive software to keep children watching as long as possible, as well as of misrepresenting the effectiveness of its content moderation. TikTok has rejected the allegations “many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading”. It said that it was disappointed the states chose to sue “rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges”.

The platform’s parent company, ByteDance, is also fighting proposed legislation that could ban the app in the US. The company has previously said that it strongly disagrees with allegations it fails to protect children, and has said that it offers “robust safeguards for teens and parents”. US legislators have argued that the app could allow the Chinese government to access user data and influence Americans through its wildly popular algorithm. The White House has backed the bill.

Legislators and the White House, however, are at odds with many of TikTok’s 170 million US users – representing roughly half the country – as well as civil liberties and digital rights groups who say a ban would infringe on freedom of speech.

In June, a coalition of civil rights groups, including the Asian American Foundation and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, argued that TikTok was vital for the visibility of marginalised groups.

“TikTok is a modern-day digital town square that empowers diverse communities, often neglected by traditional media outlets, to share their underrepresented voices with people across America and the world,” lawyers representing the coalition wrote in a court filing. The American Civil Liberties Union has also attacked attempts to shut down TikTok, saying that politicians were “trying to trade our First Amendment rights for cheap political points”.

“Whether it’s watching cooking tutorials, discussing the news of the day, or livestreaming protests, we have a right to use TikTok and other platforms to exchange our thoughts, ideas, and opinions with people around the world,” the ACLU said. (Al Jazeera)…[+]