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A New Hampshire court has rejected Tiktok’s request to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the use of operational design features aimed at children. The state argues that Tiktok is intentionally designed to be addictive and aims to leverage its younger user base. President Donald Trump has confirmed that this is the third extension to sell the U.S. Tiktok business to Baitedan, the parent company of Tiktok.
This week’s judge rejected Tiktok’s attempt to dismiss the New Hampshire case.
“The court’s decision is an important step in holding Tiktoc accountable for illegal practices that put children at risk,” Attorney General John Formera said in a statement Friday.
In Tuesday’s ruling, New Hampshire Superior Court Judge John Kissinger Jr. said the state’s claims are valid and specific, saying writing a civil claim is “based on the app’s suspicious, flawed and dangerous features and is not app content.”
The state argues that social media platform Tiktok is intentionally designed to be addictive and aims to leverage its younger user base.
The lawsuit denies a platform that implements “addictive design features” aimed at keeping children involved longer, increasing advertising exposure and encouraging purchases through Tiktok’s e-commerce platform Tiktok Shop.
A Tiktok spokesman said in a statement Friday that the lawsuit “presents an outdated cherry blossom claim.”
“We will continue to provide robust safety protection and screen time limits for teen accounts enabled by default, providing family pairing tools for parents to oversee teenagers, strict live streaming requirements, and aggressive and continuous enforcement of community guidelines,” the spokesman said.
This case is the most common and most common example of lawyers targeting design elements and safety policies of high-tech companies, rather than content on platforms created by others.
Meta has been accused in several states that implement addictive features across families of apps that have detrimental effects on children’s mental health.
New Mexico filed a lawsuit against Snapchat in September, claiming the app is creating an environment where predators can easily target children through sextori schemes.
In April, the discord between social female platforms was sued by the New Jersey Attorney General for misleading consumers about child safety.
Congress tried to take action on regulating social media platforms, but to no avail. The Kids Online Safety Act was reintroduced to Congress in May after stalling in 2024.
The measure requires social media platforms to have a “duty of care” to prevent products from harming children.
Tiktok’s latest legal hurdle is because the future in the US remains uncertain.
In April 2024, former President Joe Biden signed a law requiring that the app, which was removed from Apple and Google App stores in January prior to President Donald Trump’s inauguration, signed a law requiring people to sell Tiktok or view apps that are banned in the US.
Since taking office, Trump has postponed enforcement of the ban and continued to push back deadlines.
In June, Trump gave Bytedan more time to sell the US Tiktok business, marking his third extension. The updated deadline is set for September 17th.
Trump also told reporters that a group of “very wealthy people” were ready to buy Tiktok in June, and would discuss potential deals with China.
According to the information, Tiktok is currently building a new version of its app for US users. The standalone app is expected to work with different algorithms and data systems, Reuters said.
Tiktok countered the Reuters report, calling it “effectively inaccurate.”
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