TikTok’s New Owner Stands to Inherit 1,500 Safety, Privacy Suits

TikTok faces a mountain of litigation over child safety and privacy, a big risk for potential bidders vying to save the popular video app in the US.

Collectively, an estimated 1,500 pending lawsuits carry billions of dollars in potential exposure over allegations that the platform is fueling a youth mental-health crisis and preying on users’ sensitive private information for profit.

Unresolved lawsuits typically carry over in a corporate takeover to the acquiring company, and the complaints against TikTok would also transfer if its China-based parent, ByteDance Ltd., sells operations for 170 million American subscribers to a US buyer, according ...