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Utah\u2019s Division of Consumer Protection (UDCP) is suing TikTok<\/a> over allegations that the app\u2019s \u201caddictive nature\u201d harms children and that TikTok deceptively obscures its relationship with ByteDance, its parent company in China. The state\u2019s lawsuit<\/a> is the latest in a long-and-growing string of bans<\/a> and legal action from US-based governments and organizations to rein in TikTok\u2019s popularity, generally on espionage fears.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Utah Governor Spencer Cox accused the company of \u201cmisleading parents that its app is safe for children\u201d in a press release announcing the lawsuit today. He said the app \u201cillegally baits children into addictive and unhealthy use\u201d with features that encourage young users to scroll endlessly in order to make more advertising money. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The lawsuit alleges that TikTok violates the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act (UCSPA) by making the app addictive to children and profiting from it; misrepresenting things like the safety of its app and fairness of its policies; and claiming that it\u2019s based in the US and not controlled from China by ByteDance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The UDCP\u2019s lawsuit demands a jury trial and asks that the judge \u201cpreliminarily or permanently enjoin\u201d TikTok from violating the UCSPA and order the company to pay the UDCP\u2019s legal fees for the lawsuit, \u201crestitution and damages well in excess of $300,000,\u201d and another $300,000 in civil penalties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n