Minnesota sues TikTok, alleging it preys on young people with addictive
algorithms
[August 20, 2025] By
STEVE KARNOWSKI
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota on Tuesday joined a wave of states
suing TikTok, alleging the social media giant preys on young people with
addictive algorithms that trap them into becoming compulsive consumers
of its short videos.
“This isn’t about free speech. I’m sure they’re gonna holler that,"
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a news conference.
"It’s actually about deception, manipulation, misrepresentation. This is
about a company knowing the dangers, and the dangerous effects of its
product, but making and taking no steps to mitigate those harms or
inform users of the risks.”
The lawsuit, filed in state court, alleges that TikTok is violating
Minnesota laws against deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud. It
follows a flurry of lawsuits filed by more than a dozen states last year
alleging the popular short-form video app is designed to be addictive to
kids and harms their mental health. Minnesota's case brings the total to
about 24 states, Ellison's office said.
Many of the earlier lawsuits stemmed from a nationwide investigation
into TikTok launched in 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys
general from 14 states into the effects of TikTok on young users’ mental
health. Ellison, a Democrat, said Minnesota waited while it did its own
investigation.
Sean Padden, a middle-school health teacher in the Roseville Area school
district, joined Ellison, saying he has witnessed a correlation between
increased TikTok use and an “irrefutable spike in student mental health
issues,” including depression, anxiety, anger, lowered self-esteem and a
decrease in attention spans as they seek out the quick gratification
that its short videos offer.
The lawsuit comes while President Donald Trump is still trying to broker
a deal to bring the social media platform, which is owned by China’s
ByteDance, under American ownership over concerns about the data
security of its 170 million American users. While Trump campaigned on
banning TikTok, he also gained more than 15 million followers on the
platform since he started sharing videos on it.
No matter who ultimately owns TikTok, Ellison said, it must comply with
the law.
TikTok disputed Minnesota's allegations.
[to top of second column] |
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison briefs reporters in his
office about the lawsuit he filed against social media giant TikTok,
alleging it preys on young people with addictive algorithms, at the
Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul, Minn., Tuesday, Aug. 19,
2025. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
 “This lawsuit is based on misleading
and inaccurate claims that fail to recognize the robust safety
measures TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support the
well-being of our community," company spokesperson Nathaniel Brown
said in a statement. "Teen accounts on TikTok come with 50+ features
and settings designed to help young people safely express
themselves, discover and learn.
"Through our Family Pairing tool, parents can view or customize 20+
content and privacy settings, including screen time, content
filters, and our time away feature to pause a teen’s access to our
app,” Brown added.
Minnesota is seeking a declaration that TikTok's practices are
deceptive, unfair or unconscionable under state law, a permanent
injunction against those practices, and up to $25,000 for each
instance in which a Minnesota child has accessed TikTok. Ellison
wouldn't put a total on that but said, “it's a lot.” He estimated
that “hundreds of thousands of Minnesota kids” have TikTok on their
devices.
“We’re not trying to shut them down, but we are insisting that they
clean up their act,” Ellison said. “There are legitimate uses of
products like TikTok. But like all things, they have to be used
properly and safely.”
Minnesota is also among dozens of U.S. states that have sued Meta
Platforms for allegedly building features into Instagram and
Facebook that addict people. The messaging service Snapchat and the
gaming platform Roblox are also facing lawsuits by some other states
alleging harm to kids.
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