TikTok Facing Probe by States Over How Platform Markets to Kids

ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok is being targeted by a group of states seeking to determine whether the social media platform is being improperly marketed to children.

The states are investigating how TikTok promotes itself to younger users, including techniques to increase time spent on the platform and frequency of use, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said Wednesday. She is co-leading the probe with California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont.

“As children and teens already grapple with issues of anxiety, social pressure, and depression, we cannot allow social media to further harm their physical health and mental ...