Montana AG launches investigation into TikTok for allegedly serving harmful content to children
AG Austin Knudsen is targeting TikTok allegedly pushing dangerous content to children
Parents worry over TikTok's impact on children's health
Correspondent Mark Meredith discusses the growing number of controversial trends on TikTok that are raising concerns among parents.
EXCLUSIVE: Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has started a comprehensive investigation into TikTok for allegedly serving harmful content to children and for publicly misrepresenting the "dangers" of its social media platform.
"TikTok is certainly an application that should raise concerns for parents in Montana and everywhere," Knudsen said in an interview with Fox News Digital in announcing his office's investigation. "It's a Chinese-owned company and I think clearly the Chinese don't have America's best interests at heart."
Knudsen launched the investigation to look into whether TikTok has violated Montana's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 by intentionally distributing a dangerous product without adequate warning to consumers and by publicly misrepresenting the dangers its product poses to consumers.
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His office sent TikTok, by certified mail, a 44-page document announcing the start of its investigation and listing examples in the public record of "evidence" of violations to Montana's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act, including examples of TikTok users getting dangerous content on sex, drugs and eating disorders and some users getting killed or injured while replicating TikTok challenges.
The AG's office also cites examples that are specific to Montana, such as schools being vandalized because of a TikTok challenge and others being forced to close or step up security because of a viral challenge that encouraged threats of violence at schools.
The letter to TikTok requests an exhaustive list of information, documents and data from the social media giant to understand its safety practices, algorithms and user guidelines as it relates to minors. Knudsen's investigation is also seeking information on TikTok’s third-party data tracking and how the company’s U.S. entity shares data with its Chinese corporate family. The attorney general wants a response by March 28.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. (Montana DOJ, Attorney General)
Knudsen, a father of three kids who are not allowed on TikTok, said he’s "optimistic" TikTok will comply since it wants to do business with Montana residents. But if the company doesn’t, the attorney general’s office could seek a subpoena or initiate a civil lawsuit.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also recently launched a civil investigation into TikTok for its potential facilitation of human trafficking and child privacy violations.
TikTok, which has more than 1 billion users globally, did not immediately respond to email requests for comment. However, the company has previously denied claims that its U.S. user data is shared with the Chinese government.
TikTok’s community guidelines state that it does not allow nudity, pornography or sexually explicit content. The company also claims it prohibits content that depicts or promotes drugs or promotes eating habits that are likely to cause adverse health outcomes. TikTok has said it would remove content that violates the rules.
"We are deeply committed to ensuring the safety of minors on our platform," the community guidelines state. "We do not tolerate activities that perpetuate the abuse, harm, endangerment, or exploitation of minors on TikTok."
But investigative journalism reports have exposed how TikTok's algorithm serves up videos on drugs, pornography and other adult content to minors. TikTok allows children who state their age to be as young as 13 to make profiles and allows adults to hunt for nude images from minors, the AG's office says, citing news reports.
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While TikTok officially does not allow content promoting or glorifying eating disorders, reporting has found disordered eating content has slipped through the cracks. Because of the way TikTok’s algorithm works, users who seek one type of content can easily and quickly be pushed toward more dangerous content, the AG's office says.
"In a short amount of time [after] they create a profile and start looking at a few things, it doesn't take long and pretty soon they're getting pornography, they're getting drugs, they're getting eating disorder (content) pushed at them very quickly," Knudsen told Fox News Digital. "It should be concerning to every parent and guardian."