TikTok Accused by State of Hawaii of Purposely Addicting Kids

TikTok was hit with a new suit from Hawaii’s attorney general asserting that the video platform was deliberately designed to exploit kids’ underdeveloped brains and contributes to a widespread youth mental health crisis without warning users of its risks.

“The mental health and wellbeing of our keiki must come first,” Gov. Josh Green (D) said in a press release Wednesday announcing the lawsuit, filed the same day in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit for the State of Hawaii. “TikTok’s design preys on their vulnerabilities, creating an environment where addiction and anxiety thrive.”

“TikTok’s platform is highly addictive because TikTok intended it to be so,” according to the complaint filed by Hawaii Attorney General Anne E. Lopez (D).

A spokesperson for Tiktok disputed the claims in an email Thursday.

“This lawsuit is based on misleading and inaccurate claims that fail to recognize the robust safety measures TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support the well-being of our community,” the spokesperson said. “In the seven years since the app launched, we have invested billions of dollars in Trust & Safety, and rolled out 50+ preset safety, privacy, and security settings for teens, including private accounts, content restrictions, and screen time tools.”

The state’s lawsuit comes as social media giants including Tiktok parent company ByteDance Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., and Google LLC are gearing up for bellwether trials centered on the potentially deleterious effects of their platforms on children.

The trials are part of sprawling consolidated litigation in federal court from school districts, state attorneys general, and parents who say apps like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are intentionally designed to hook kids through manipulative algorithms at the expense of children’s mental health.

Hawaii’s lawsuit focuses solely on TikTok, identifying features like the app’s live-streaming capabilities, beauty filters, “For You” page, autoplay, endless scroll, and push notifications as purposely intended to be addictive to children.

“Children find it particularly difficult to exercise the self-control required to regulate their use of TikTok given the stimuli and rewards embedded in the platform, and as a forseeable and probably consequence of TikTok’s design choices its users tend to engage in addictive and compulsive use,” the complaint said.

The app’s recommendation engine and encouragement of continuous scrolling and interaction make user disengagement difficult, it said.

The app also exposes children to inappropriate material and circumstances, the lawsuit said.

TikTok’s live-streaming feature “operates in part like a virtual strip club, providing streamers with a performance stage, and allowing users to hand over virtual money,” the complaint said. “Due to known flaws in its age-gating, TikTok has allowed children and teenagers to access” the live-streaming feature “and be exploited, despite not reaching the age requirement.”

The state brings claims for deceptive and unfair acts or practices and is requesting a permanent injunction barring those acts, plus civil penalties and punitive damages.

Starn O’Toole, Marcus and Fisher, and Keller Rohrback LLP were also appointed special deputy attorneys general in the lawsuit.

The case is State of Hawaii v. ByteDance Inc., Haw. Cir. Ct., No. 1CCV-25-0001964, complaint filed 12/3/25.