Does TikTok harm children? A coalition of state attorneys general launch investigation

South Carolina will join other states in an investigation into whether the social media platform TikTok harms children, Attorney General Alan Wilson announced.

Wilson said in a news release Wednesday that a bipartisan group of attorneys general believes the video-based platform harms children and young adults physically and mentally and therefore violates state consumer protection laws.

“Our children are precious and vulnerable and we need to ensure that they’re fully protected,” he said in a news release.

The investigation will look into how TikTok increases the time and frequency of children using the platform.

“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 well-being,” Maura Healey, the attorney general of Massachusetts, said in a statement.

Healey, along with attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont, are leading the investigation, Wilson’s press release said.

TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd., released a statement saying it had added safety and privacy measures specifically to protect children.

“We care deeply about building an experience that helps to protect and support the well-being of our community and appreciate that the state attorneys general are focusing on the safety of younger users,” the company statement said.

The investigation is similar to one announced last year by 44 state attorneys general into Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly known as Facebook, into a platform for Instagram designed specifically for children.

A Facebook whistle blower last year said the company knew young people using Instagram felt bad about themselves and their body image.