Alabama sues TikTok: State AG accuses app of fueling youth mental health crisis
Here's what we know:
TikTok is a social media app best known for short-form videos that keep users scrolling for hours. Creators can upload videos that are just a few seconds long or up to 10 minutes long.
The app's secret sauce? A personalized "For You Page" powered by an innovative algorithm that serves up content based on what you like to watch. Expect plenty of singing, dancing, lip syncing and viral comedy.
But that "secret sauce" is under fire as Alabama lawmakers are challenging TikTok's algorithm in their lawsuit, claiming it's designed to addict users, especially youth.
Alabama's lawsuit claims TikTok's algorithm is built to keep kids hooked, pushing an endless stream of content that promotes depression, eating disorders, self-harm and drug use.
The lawsuit alleges that TikTok's safeguards for minors are easy to circumvent and don't do enough to protect young users.
According to TikTok's website, the platform is recommended for users ages 12 and up, with parental guidance. In the U.S., children under 13 are offered a limited, "view-only" app version.
TikTok says it starts all accounts for users under 18 as private by default, though teens can switch to public settings. There's also a 60-minute daily screen time limit for users under 18. Those under 16 can't use direct messaging or go live, and their content is not shown on the app's popular "For You" page.
TikTok offers a tool called "Family Pairing," which lets parents and guardians connect their accounts to their teens. The feature allows adults to set screen time limits and requires a passcode if the teen wants more time on the app.
Parents can also filter out specific keywords to help control what appears on their child's "For You" feed. They can also manage comment settings, including turning off comments altogether.
Another claim in the lawsuit accuses TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, of collecting sensitive data on Americans and potentially sharing it with the Chinese government. Attorney General Marshall alleges that because ByteDance is based in China, it is subject to laws requiring companies to cooperate with Chinese intelligence services.
Marshall argues that TikTok and ByteDance are engaged in espionage by exploiting personal information, especially data belonging to minors.
The lawsuit asks for civil penalties under Alabama's Deceptive Trade Practices Act and compensatory and punitive damages for the state. It also seeks a court order requiring TikTok to stop what the state calls deceptive practices related to youth safety.
A copy of the complaint can be viewed here.
Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: TikTok algorithm under fire as state AG cites 'mental health crisis'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
2 German Shepherds Got Stuck and Accidentally Invented a New Dance Move
2 German Shepherds Got Stuck and Accidentally Invented a New Dance Move originally appeared on PetHelpful. In a TikTok now making everyone cry-laugh (for all the right reasons), two German Shepherds somehow manage to get themselves stuck together during a roughhousing session. Instead of calmly untangling, like the clever dogs they're supposed to be, they decide to do the only thing that seems logical in the moment: They spin. Full. Furry. Nonstop. Tornado. All set to RunDMC's "It's Tricky," for maximum comedic effect. Look at 'em go! Their speed and coordination is pretty remarkable At one point, you can kind of see the realization hit their eyes: 'This is our lives now. We spin forever.' Spinning and Zoomies Why do dogs spin and do zoomies? There are plenty of reasons. They might do this to release tension or pure excitement, as part of instinctive play, or just because they feel like it. Most of the time, it's perfectly normal. In some cases, excessive spinning can indicate a behavioral or medical issue. If it doesn't happen excessively and the dog is otherwise healthy, it's usually just part of their personality. When in doubt, a quick chat with your vet is always a safe bet. Moments like this are a funny reminder that even intelligent, energetic breeds like German Shepherds can get themselves into tricky situations during play. Monitoring collars and harnesses during rough play can prevent accidental tangles, and a little supervision goes a long this case, the dogs popped apart just fine. Follow-up clips show them back to their usual adventures, tails wagging and dignity mostly intact. Something tells me their 'spinning' career isn't over, and TikTok will be ready when it happens again. 2 German Shepherds Got Stuck and Accidentally Invented a New Dance Move first appeared on PetHelpful on Aug 2, 2025 This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Golden Retriever's Impressive 'Prison Break' Caught on Camera and It's Too Funny
Golden Retriever's Impressive 'Prison Break' Caught on Camera and It's Too Funny originally appeared on Parade Pets. Puppies are usually crated for training purposes, to establish boundaries, and to give them a "safe" space to decompress. Yet they soon grow out of these crates and find them a bit confining, often prompting an escape plan. Rooster the Red Golden Retriever is somewhat of a mastermind. The sly pup orchestrated a complicated "prison break" that looks like it's straight from the movies. In the TikTok from @roostertheretriever, the determined dog's escape was captured on video. 'My dog decided to execute the ultimate prison break in the middle of the night,' the onscreen text read. Rooster stepped out of his crate and manueverd himself onto an end table. The crafty canine then wedged himself between the table and the end of the gate, creating an opening of escape. This took the skill and agility of an Olympic gymnast as his back paws gripped the poles of the gate and he lurched his upper body forward. At one point, Rooster got a bit stuck and appeared to panic. His body was on top of the gate but he couldn't go forward or backward. He just stayed on the end table, figuring out his next move. Sliding his back paws along the gate, he located the perfect crevice to squeeze through to freedom. Rooster Foiled His Parents' Plans The pup's parents anticipated the potential for a prison break and arranged the area in the hopes of preventing this scenario, but their plans were obviously thwarted. "Rooster has grown so much lately that he started easily hopping out of his playpen," the caption explained. "We raised the height of the gate, except for one corner where we keep his toys and blankets in a basket. We figured, 'There's no way he could jump into the corner of a wall'."Followers were impressed with Rooster's accomplishment and guessed at reasons why he broke out. "Why am I sitting here cheering for Rooster. You got it, just jump," one wrote. "Looks like he was second guessing it, but realized he'd gone too far to turn back!" another noted. "Aww he just wants snuggles, or to search and destroy all chewable objects," a fan pointed out. It looks like Rooster needs a much higher gate! 🐶🐾🐾 Golden Retriever's Impressive 'Prison Break' Caught on Camera and It's Too Funny first appeared on Parade Pets on Aug 2, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade Pets on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
TikTok can shape America's next generation and Beijing knows it
If Washington doesn't act urgently, content pushed by TikTok and consumed by young Americans will result in future U.S. leaders unwittingly parroting China's talking points, advocating warped views and, most dangerously, acting in ways that are in Beijing's interests but undermine U.S. national security. There is admittedly no 'smoking gun,' but TikTok represents a highly plausible vector of intelligence collection. ByteDance, TikTok's parent firm, claims it is committed to U.S. national security, but is legally bound to cooperate with the Chinese Communist Party. The People's Republic of China almost certainly uses TikTok, at a minimum, as a collection platform to monitor public opinion. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and TikTok agreed in January 2023 to maintain all U.S. data within the U.S., but there are concerning reports of leaks. With 170 million U.S. users, TikTok provides Beijing with real-time, granular insight into American public opinion. That real-time data collection would prove enormously useful, for instance, in assessing U.S. willingness to fight in a hypothetical conflict over Taiwan. But the challenge from TikTok with America's youth is not just collection, but influence. Early evidence suggests this is already underway. A Rutgers study found TikTok suppressed unfavorable accounts of sensitive topics, including Tibet, Tiananmen Square, Uyghur rights and Xinjiang. 'Heavy' users expressed elevated positive attitudes toward China's human rights record and greater interest in traveling to China. Given that the company's black box algorithm thwarts independent verification, we likely have seen only the tip of the iceberg of Beijing's efforts to sway the U.S. public. The algorithm could convulse U.S. domestic politics by sowing discord and highlighting divisions, an outcome that serves Beijing's interest in undermining U.S. cohesion and painting D.C. as an unreliable partner. Indeed, rather than bolstering one candidate or another, TikTok may act as an anti-incumbent tool. In the 2024 election, TikTok contributed to President Biden's low approval ratings, according to one Democratic strategist. In that election, President Trump's support among 18-29-year-olds, which disproportionately comprises TikTok's user base, rose by seven points from 2020. And yet, by April, only three months into office, Trump's support among young people has declined markedly — by up to 27 points. While there are admittedly many variables at play, TikTok can amplify alienation and short-term sentiment swings. Whatever one's politics, it's dangerous for China to retain levers that can subtly shape American public opinion, especially by amplifying dissatisfaction. It's worth noting that as Beijing uses tools to manipulate the U.S. public, especially its youth, it's taking meaningful steps to protect its own young people. Douyin, the version of TikTok used in China and also owned by ByteDance, is required by authorities to enforce a 'youth mode,' limiting users under 14 to app usage for just 40 minutes a day. It also locks them out between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily. The contrast is stark: China exports attention-fracturing content while shielding its own youth from it. China's use of TikTok may allow it to influence mass and elite opinion. And in fact, TikTok may be uniquely effective at influencing elite views, by enabling microtargeting. Given TikTok's effectiveness and deniability, as well as Beijing's determination to supplant the United States, Chinese security services are likely tweaking TikTok's algorithms to micro-target key users. Chinese security services can directly shape TikTok's algorithm — rather than merely exploit one built by others — giving it a deniable, end-to-end influence over what users see. Crucially, any elite-focused information operation via TikTok would be even more difficult to detect in the unclassified domain than efforts to shape mass public opinion because of how narrow and precise the targeting would be. For far too long, U.S. leaders on both sides of the aisle have failed to take action against the platform. And the reported decision by President Trump to tell U.S. companies they can ignore the law barring American companies from engaging with TikTok represents a new and immediate danger to U.S. national and economic security. At a minimum, it is imperative to ensure the U.S. is not allowing companies or individuals to engage with TikTok so long as its algorithm is controlled by a Beijing-linked company. But U.S. policymakers need to go even further and consider, for example, more ambitious measures such as national limits on short-video screen time for minors. The status quo is incomprehensible and dangerous: Young Americans are being asked to unwittingly face off against an algorithm that may be a tool of Chinese intelligence services. Allowing this dynamic to persist risks eroding the cognitive, civic and strategic foundations of American leadership. Jonathan Panikoff is a senior fellow in the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center and the former director of the Investment Security Group, overseeing the intelligence community's CFIUS efforts at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Joseph Webster is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and editor of the independent China-Russia Report.
