Alabama sues TikTok and ByteDance over harmful content exposure to minors
Alabama Attorney General filed a lawsuit against TikTok and ByteDance, alleging the platform's algorithm is designed to addict minors to harmful content promoting mental health risks while safety features are ineffective. The complaint claims over one-third of daily U.S. users are fourteen or younger and that the platform's capture of this market was intentional.
What happened
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a lawsuit on April 29, 2025, against TikTok Inc. and its parent company ByteDance Inc. in Montgomery County Circuit Court.
The lawsuit alleges that TikTok's algorithm is engineered to keep minors endlessly scrolling and expose them to content promoting depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and drug use, as well as dangerous viral challenges. The complaint states that over one-third of TikTok's daily users in the United States are fourteen or younger, and that the platform's capture of the youth market resulted from a carefully executed campaign.
The lawsuit also alleges that TikTok's safety measures, including Kids Mode and Restricted Mode, are ineffective and easily bypassed, leaving children vulnerable to exploitation while the platform fails to block inappropriate adult material.
Reported impact
According to the lawsuit, TikTok's practices have fueled a mental health crisis among Alabama's youth by exploiting and addicting children to harmful content while lying to parents about platform safety.
Index analysis
The lawsuit alleges that ByteDance, a Chinese corporation, has focused on gathering as much data on users as possible since the app's inception, and that TikTok's so-called safety features function as marketing ploys rather than genuine protections.
Governance controls
The lawsuit seeks civil penalties under Alabama's Deceptive Trade Practices Act along with compensatory damages.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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