Pennsylvania sues TikTok and Snapchat over child safety

What Pennsylvania alleges

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has filed lawsuits against TikTok, Inc. and Snapchat owner Snap, Inc. The cases allege that the social media companies fail to warn users about features that encourage compulsive use and do not adequately safeguard children.

The commonwealth also alleges that both companies misrepresent how often adult-themed material appears on their platforms in order to obtain age-13-and-older ratings in app stores. The material cited by the state includes sexual content and nudity, discussion of suicide, and drug use. These claims are allegations that will be addressed through the court process.

The case against TikTok

Sunday said TikTok built its business around features designed to keep people using the platform. He also accused the company of misleading users about the types of content children can view.

Sunday described the lawsuit as an effort to hold one company responsible for its practices, rather than a broader challenge to modern technology or social media as a whole.

The case against Snapchat

Sunday’s concerns about Snapchat include the platform’s disappearing-message design. Photos and messages may disappear from the app after they are viewed, but recipients can preserve them through screenshots or other methods.

The attorney general said that design can lead users to believe shared material is temporary when it may remain accessible. He argued that this impression could encourage younger users to send images or messages they otherwise would not share. Pennsylvania’s lawsuit contends that Snap has not adequately warned users about that risk or the platform’s potential for compulsive use.