KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) – New Hampshire’s Attorney General’s office is suing the social media platform TikTok, alleging it’s a danger to children.

Attorney General John Formella’s office announced the filing of the lawsuit Thursday in Merrimack County Superior Court for violating the State’s consumer protection statute and other laws.

According to a news release, the State is accusing TikTok of engaging in unfair and deceptive acts or practices in violation of New Hampshire State law by designing an unfair product and misleading consumers about its safety. The release says TikTok’s platform includes addictive features that make it hard for children to disengage, meant to exploit young users and lead to a cycle of excessive use, maximizing the time they spend on the platform in the interest of profit.

The complaint alleges that the company knows excessive use results in profound harm to younger users, including depression, anxiety, and isolation from family and friends. It also alleges the company lied to parents about the safety of the platform, downplaying the risks while touting safety measures that the AG’s office says the company knows are ineffective.

The State argues that as the platform grew in popularity, so did the instances of mental health issues among young Granite Staters.

“Today, we take a critical step to protect our children from the predatory practices of TikTok,” Formella said in part. “We will vigorously pursue this case to ensure that TikTok is held responsible and that meaningful changes are made to protect our children’s well-being.”

Specifically, the lawsuit is alleging that TikTok deliberately exploited its youngest users for profit by creating a manipulative and addictive product, misleading users and their parents about the safety of the app with false assurances about the effectiveness of enforcement of community guidelines and content moderation, collecting personal data without disclosures or parental consent, and inappropriately downplaying the control that its parent company exercises to avoid regulatory scrutiny and customer concerns about safety.

The complaint against TikTok asks the Court to enter an injunction requiring substantive changes in the company’s operations and seeks penalties and other monetary relief to address the alleged harms their practices have caused.

The lawsuit is part of an ongoing effort by State leaders to address serious harms posed to children by social media platforms, and follows a complaint made by the state in October of 2023 alleging similar practices by Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook Inc., which owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger.

“New Hampshire puts our kids first,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “This lawsuit, combined with our earlier Executive Order investigating the harms of social media on New Hampshire’s youth is another wakeup call for parents on the dangers that social media presents to our kids.”

The Attorney General’s investigation of other social media platforms for related practices will continue as well.