TikTok Under Investigation: IL Attorney General Raoul Joins Probe

CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has joined a nationwide investigation into social media platform TikTok, claiming that the popular app is bringing physical and mental health harm to users, especially young people.

Raoul’s office announced that the state attorney general is joining prosecutors from eight other states in the claim that TikTok continues to promote the use of the video-driven platform to children and young adults despite its use being associated with questions of how TikTok is affecting users' well-being.

Attorneys general from around the United States are specifically looking into claims whether the company knew that Tik Tok engaged in violation of state consumer protection laws that put the public at risk, Raoul’s office said in a news release on Wednesday.

“Heavy social media usage has negative impacts on users’ mental health, for instance leading to low self-esteem and distorted body image. Those effects are amplified in those users who are children and teens,” Raoul said in the release. “This investigation seeks to determine what methods TikTok is using to increase the time users spend on the platform, and how that increased time harms young users’ physical and mental health."

The investigation by the various state attorneys general will evaluate the harms caused by TikTok to young users and whether the company knew about those harms, the release said. The investigation focuses on, among other things, the techniques utilized by TikTok to boost young user engagement — including increasing the duration of time spent on the platform and frequency of engagement with the platform.

The investigation is part of Raoul’s ongoing efforts to protect children online and address the negative impacts social media platforms have on young Illinois residents, his office said in the release.

According to reports, TikTok has 1 billion reported monthly users.

In May 2021, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 44 attorneys general, Raoul urged Facebook to abandon its plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under 13. In November 2021, Raoul and attorneys general from across the country announced their investigation into Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly known as Facebook, for providing and promoting its social media platform Instagram to kids, Raoul’s office said.

The bipartisan collections of attorneys general include officials from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont. They are joined by a broad group of attorneys general from across the country.