New York accuses TikTok of serving users ‘placebo’ safety features

In a lawsuit filed by New York attorney general Letitia James, the social media platform TikTok is accused of conducting secret safety tests on teenage users. According to a Bloomberg Businessweek report, these tests began in 2021 and affected approximately 15 million U.S. users, including a teen who tragically took their own life.

In an effort to assess the impact of a new safety feature, TikTok withheld this feature from 10% of its U.S. users to observe whether it reduced overall usage time. The New York lawsuit alleges that this experiment subjected individuals in the test group to a less safe experience due to the absence of the safety feature. Following the filing, TikTok acknowledged that it engages in tests on its platform, which may involve altering the experience for a portion of its user base.

The company, however, denies that these tests render the platform unsafe for users. TikTok stated that they regularly test new products and features to validate their effectiveness and gather real-world insights. New York is among a dozen states that have joined forces in a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging that the platform negatively affects the mental health of young users and that the company's leadership misled the public regarding its safety measures.

In response to a similar lawsuit in Alabama, TikTok agreed to pay up to US$300 million. However, other state lawsuits remain unresolved. Meta Platforms recently reached a settlement with all 50 U.S. states, paying up to US$18 billion and committing to platform changes, in order to address allegations of harming youth safety. The agreement includes a provision where a portion of Meta's payout is contingent upon TikTok and Snap agreeing to implement comparable platform changes and contribute to state initiatives aimed at supporting children.

Both TikTok, Meta, Snap, and Google's YouTube are currently embroiled in numerous lawsuits stemming from similar allegations filed by state attorneys general, individual users, and school districts. These cases have been consolidated into multidistrict proceedings, while others, including the New York lawsuit, are proceeding separately.