Texas Sues TikTok

By Jonathan Stempel and David Shepardson

(Reuters) – Texas sued TikTok on Thursday, accusing the social media platform of violating children’s privacy and state law by sharing children’s personal identifying information without consent from their parents or legal guardians.

The lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton seeks an injunction and civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation of the state’s Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act, or SCOPE Act.

Paxton stated that TikTok, whose parent is China’s ByteDance, does not provide tools to restrict children’s privacy and account settings. The platform even allows information to be shared from accounts set to “private” and permits targeted advertising to children.

TikTok and other large tech companies must be held accountable “for exploiting Texas children and failing to prioritize minors’ online safety and privacy,” Paxton said in a statement.

The attorney general filed the lawsuit in a Galveston County, Texas state court. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.