Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, accusing the Chinese-owned social media platform of endangering minors and deceiving parents about the safety of its content.
The lawsuit, filed in Galveston County District Court, alleges that TikTok misrepresented the prevalence of inappropriate and explicit material on its platform while targeting young users with addictive features.
According to Paxton, TikTok falsely maintained a 12+ age rating in app stores, claiming that content depicting drugs, nudity, alcohol, and profanity was “infrequent” and “mild.” However, an investigation by the attorney general’s office revealed that minors frequently encounter an endless stream of harmful and explicit material.
The lawsuit also accuses TikTok of knowingly designing its platform to exploit children’s vulnerabilities, keeping them engaged for extended periods with addictive features like infinite scrolling and algorithm-driven content recommendations.
“TikTok actively worked to deceive parents and lure children onto their app despite the presence of an overwhelming amount of profane and illicit material,” said Paxton. “Companies may not jeopardize the health and well-being of Texas children by blatantly lying about the products they provide.”
The filing further alleges that TikTok’s practices exacerbate mental health issues in minors—particularly young girls—leading to body-image problems, eating disorders, and even instances of self-harm. Despite being aware of these risks, the company failed to disclose them and instead promoted the platform as a safe environment for teens. Paxton is seeking a permanent injunction to stop TikTok’s deceptive practices as well as civil penalties and other legal remedies.
This is not the first time Paxton has taken legal action against TikTok. In October, he sued the company for violating the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment Act, accusing it of operating in a manner that compromises the online safety and privacy of Texas children.
That lawsuit is ongoing.
