LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Three different lawsuits have been filed by Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, taking aim at social media powerhouses, Meta and TikTok in order to "protect" Arkansas children from the applications.
He was joined by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a press conference, where they discussed the lawsuits which are being filed under Arkansas's 'Deceptive Trade Practices Act.'
"The common theme is deception. And the consequences of that deception is endangering Arkansans, particularly our children, our youth," said Attorney General Tim Griffin.
According to Gov. Sanders, this act prohibits companies from "engaging in false, deceptive, business practices." She believes that this falsehood comes as social media companies "claim that their platforms are beneficial, non-addictive, and private."
In terms of Meta, the governor claimed that the company played a role in a mental health crisis among teens.
"This lawsuit against Meta will be the first of its kind by any state anywhere in the country," said Governor Sanders.
The lawsuit claims that Meta has "lied" about its content, which they believe has caused "severe depression [and] loneliness " among teens in the US.
"Meta has repeatedly claimed that its platforms are non-addictive and non-threatening to young people's mental health. Those are lies and Arkansas will hold the company accountable," said Governor Sanders.
The attorney general refers to TikTok specifically as a "trojan horse" of an app, which he said was "unleashed on unsuspecting American consumers" through the promotion of content that is being deemed as "false" and "deceptive."
Governor Sanders also cited concerns over the app's ties to China.
"Under Chinese law, the CCP could seize data from that site whenever it wants. If it hasn't already," said Sanders.
As for the lawsuits themselves, the state will pursuing action against companies for the following reasons:
- Action against Meta, filed under Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The company claimed to have "lied" about content that has caused teens' well-being to "plummet."
- Action against TikTok, filed under Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The company claimed to have "lied" about content which has exposed teens to "damaging content."
- Action against TikTok filed under Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The company claimed to have "lied" about collecting users' data.
This lawsuit from the attorney general comes right after Arkansas introduced a new bill that governs the social media usage among minors.
The bill, known as the Social Media Safety Act (SB391), would do this by "holding companies accountable" -- requiring them to verify users' ages, otherwise facing a lawsuit if they fail to do so.
This "accountability" is something that remained a topic of conversation at Tuesday's press conference. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders emphasized the importance of holding big corporations accountable.
"We have to hold big tech companies accountable for pushing addictive platforms on our kids and exposing them to a world of inappropriate, damaging content," Gov. Sanders said.
As for Griffin's lawsuit, one of the biggest points of contention is that it points to the "damaging content" that's provided to minors through the usage of these social media apps.
The attorney general references "tens of millions" of American minors that are being "force-fed" mature content through TikTok's algorithm.
Some of the mature content that the lawsuit references consist of the following:
- "Alcohol, tobacco, and drugs "
- "Nudity" and "sexual content"
- "Suggestive themes"
- "Intense profanity"
The lawsuit claims that TikTok's content has a direct influence on children, with AG Griffin citing "several school districts in September 2021" that previously reported "unfortunate trends among youth."
Arkansas's lawsuit is one of many actions against social media companies as of late, more specifically TikTok, which is facing a potential nationwide ban in the United States.
Just last week, lawmakers in the US met TikTok's CEO in court, where they posed several questions and accusations on how the application infringes on user's safety.
Despite the tense hearing, the app's CEO shared with the committee that it prioritizes the safety of users and rejected the idea that TikTok poses a national security risk to America.