Georgia joins investigation into TikTok's effect on kids' health

ATLANTA - Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is joining a nationwide investigation into social media app TikTok and its potential harmful effects on children and young adults.

The investigation was announced Wednesday by a number of states led by California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont.

U.S. lawmakers and federal regulators have criticized TikTok, citing practices and computer-driven promotion of content they say can endanger the physical and mental health of young users. The platform has an estimated 1 billion monthly users and is especially popular with teens and younger children.

Last month, Texas opened an investigation into TikTok’s alleged violations of children’s privacy and facilitation of human trafficking.

"We will always stand up to protect Georgia’s children, and we will not tolerate those who put their health and well-being at risk," Carr said in a statement. "Social media use and its harmful effects on young people is a serious issue that must be addressed with safety as the only priority. While TikTok chooses to target our youngest residents with enhanced marketing tactics, we will continue working with our fellow attorneys general to review all available information and keep our children safe."

Officials say the investigation will examine whether TikTok put the public at risk by violating consumer protection laws and will focus on examining how TikTok boost user engagement with the app. 

Government officials and child-safety advocates maintain that TikTok’s computer algorithms pushing video content to users can promote eating disorders and even self-harm and suicide to young viewers.

Tiktok’s response to investigation

TikTok has said it focuses on age-appropriate experiences, noting that some features, such as direct messaging, are not available to younger users. The company says it has tools in place, such as screen-time management, to help young people and parents moderate how long children spend on the app and what they see.

"We care deeply about building an experience that helps to protect and support the well-being of our community, and appreciate that the state attorneys general are focusing on the safety of younger users," the company said Wednesday. "We look forward to providing information on the many safety and privacy protections we have for teens."

Early last year, after federal regulators ordered TikTok to disclose how its practices affect children and teenagers, the platform tightened its privacy practices for users under 18.

As its popularity has swelled, TikTok has come under a barrage of criticism from state officials, federal regulators, consumer advocates and lawmakers of both parties. Republicans have especially homed in on the company’s ties to China. TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.

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