New Hampshire Lawsuit Against TikTok Over AI-Driven Addictive Design Targeting Children
New Hampshire is suing TikTok, alleging the platform intentionally designed addictive features targeting children and teens to exploit them. A state court judge rejected TikTok's motion to dismiss the case, allowing the state's product liability and consumer protection claims to proceed to trial.
What happened
New Hampshire filed a lawsuit alleging that TikTok is intentionally designed to be addictive and aims to exploit its young user base.
The state accused the platform of implementing addictive design features meant to keep children engaged longer, increasing their exposure to advertisements and prompting purchases through TikTok Shop.
On July 11, 2025, New Hampshire Superior Court Judge John Kissinger Jr. rejected TikTok's motion to dismiss the case, ruling that the state's allegations were valid and specific enough to proceed to trial.
Reported impact
New Hampshire alleges that TikTok's addictive design features harm teens' mental health.
The state noted that more than 92,000 accounts in New Hampshire belong to children between 13 and 17 years old.
Index analysis
Judge Kissinger determined that the state's product liability claims are based on the app's alleged defective and dangerous features, not the content within it, and are therefore not protected by the First Amendment or Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
The judge rejected TikTok's arguments that it should be shielded from the claims under Section 230 immunity, finding that the claims concerned the platform's design rather than third-party content.
Governance controls
TikTok stated it provides screen time limits for teen accounts enabled by default, Family Pairing tools for parents to supervise their teens, strict livestreaming requirements, and ongoing enforcement of Community Guidelines.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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