Parents in US sue TikTok claiming app is destroying youth

Monitoring Desk

NEW YORK: Chinese short-video making platform TikTok has been sued by at least 5,000 parents in the US, claiming that the app is “destroying America’s youth”.

Thousands of parents are seeking accountability from the company through a lawsuit spearheaded by ClaimsHero.io, UNILAD reported.

ClaimsHero, which claims to offer no legal services other than to help people contact lawyers and support them with their claims during arbitration, is representing the parents in a lawsuit claiming that the popular social media platform is ‘harmful’.

“An algorithm poisoning America’s Youth: TikTok is a weapon targeted at America’s youth. Its search algorithm turns the platform into a drug – featuring relentless violent, sexual, and even suicidal content that targets children as young as 12 years old,” the ClaimsHero website read.

“We will manage the claim process for you from end-to-end while working with the lawyers representing you, so that there is less of a burden on you during the litigation process. And if you win, you may be eligible for a cash award,” it added.

ClaimsHero also urged to “share your TikTok story with us and your family may be eligible for up to $10,000. Together, we can hold TikTok accountable, protect our children, and safeguard the future of America”.

Brittany Edwards, one of the parents involved, said she joined the legal battle because she believes the app had a negative impact on her daughter, the report mentioned.

Speaking to the New York Post, she described the heartbreaking moment she learned from a friend that her 12-year-old daughter had recorded a TikTok titled “LOWKEY GONNA COMMIT Suicide”.

The founder of ClaimsHero, Kelvin Goode, has also emphasised the importance of taking action since TikTok added a new caveat to its user agreement recently.

Earlier this month, the US state of Iowa sued TikTok, alleging that it is misleading parents about the kinds of content available to children.

The lawsuit from Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said the TikTok app contains “frequent and intense sexual content and nudity, profanity and crude humour, mature and suggestive themes, and alcohol, tobacco, and drug use and references”.