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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison argues TikTok violated state consumer protection laws by designing a platform that’s addicting and harmful to children. 

“This isn't about free speech,” Ellison said in announcing his lawsuit filed Tuesday in Hennepin County Court. “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 says TikTok has violated the law by designing features that can cause children to compulsively and excessively use the app such that they are mentally, physically and financially injured. 

It also says the social media app has violated the law by live streaming in virtual monetary features that it knows induces compulsive use of the app and is used for financial and sexual exploitation of children. 

“This stuff is digital nicotine,” Ellison said. “Just like Big Tobacco designs its products to addict, TikTok is working to create TikTok addicts and the worst part is it's working.”

TikTok is owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance. 

The app uses an algorithm to give its users video content. Ellison and other attorneys general have said the app’s algorithm is addictive for children. 

University of Minnesota law professor Alan Rozenshtein told MPR News that these kinds of lawsuits are still reasonably new and novel. 

“You have to establish that, in fact, these platforms are dangerously designed, and in fact they cause harm, and in fact there's no good way of redesigning them,” Rozenshtein said. “Those are very difficult factual questions, and so I certainly wouldn't say that this is in any way a slam dunk.”

TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment. 

Click the audio player above to listen to a conversation about the lawsuit with University of Minneota law professor Alan Rozenshtein on Minnesota Now. 

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The lawsuit says the social media app is targeting young people. Ellison calls it “digital nicotine.”

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Minnesota attorney general sues TikTok for ‘preying on Minnesota young people’

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