Iowa Is Suing TikTok And The Reason Is Messy

Several states don't like TikTok and Iowa is now one of them.

The issue of kids on social media is nothing new but it's taking a new step in Iowa. According to Des Moines station KCCI, Iowa is the latest state to sue TikTok. It comes over claims that TikTok deceives people concerning how much "inappropriate content" kids can access on the app.

And I don't think this means the cringe influencers trying to create a trending dance, though those hurt my eyeballs.

Iowa's lawsuit against TikTok (and it's parent company, ByteDance) says that TikTok's age rating of 12+ in the app store is "misrepresentative" because of it's "frequent and intense" mature and sexual content.

Personally, I'd be down to ban the "aesthetic" get-ready-with-me videos.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said about TikTok:

TikTok has sneaked past parental blocks by misrepresenting the severity of its content

Iowa didn't give any examples of kids seeing stuff they shouldn't on TikTok, but they aren't the first state on the anti-TikTok bandwagon. Arkansas, Utah, and Indiana have filed similar lawsuits against the platform too. It will be up to the U.S. Supreme Court if states regulating social media apps violates the Constitution.

TikTok, meanwhile, says they're working on it and described it as "industry-wide challenges". A spokesperson said they have "safeguards in place for young people, including parental controls and time limits for those under 18”.

Iowa's lawsuit wants TikTok to correct it's statements and seeks "financial civil penalties" for harm caused to Iowans.

In late 2022, Governor Reynolds banned TikTok on all state devices, which was mainly out of security concerns because of the app's Chinese ownership.