Less than a week after launching two separate lawsuits against TikTok, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita now is calling on Apple and Google to change their age ratings for the app when making it available to consumers.
Rokita
“Sexual content, profanity and drug references run rampant in TikTok videos,” Rokita said. “This kind of material threatens the mental and physical health of young Hoosiers, and not only TikTok but also vendors must make it clear to families that TikTok is wholly inappropriate for kids.”
Specifically, Rokita is demanding that Apple update the TikTok rating from “12+” to “17+” in its App Store and that Google update the TikTok rating from “Teen” to “Mature” in the Google Play Store.
The current ratings are misleading and deceptive to consumers, as explained in two multistate letters – one sent to Apple and the other to Google.
On Dec. 7, Rokita filed two lawsuits against TikTok.
One lawsuit alleges that TikTok lures children onto the platform through a variety of misleading representations.
The other asserts that TikTok – which is owned by a Chinese company – has reams of highly sensitive data and personal information about Indiana consumers and has deceived those consumers to believe that this information is protected from the Chinese government and Communist Party.
“We are determined to hold this company accountable,” Rokita said. “And that goes for its enablers as well. We’re ready to pursue further legal actions if necessary.”