Pennsylvania says TikTok hooks kids and is not honest about adult content. If your child uses the app, the lawsuit is a good reason to check their settings.
Pennsylvania has sued TikTok, saying the app is built to keep kids hooked and is not honest about the adult content they can run into. Attorney General Dave Sunday filed the 65-page lawsuit in August 2026 in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.
The suit says TikTok fails to "shield children from age-inappropriate material and over-usage of the app," according to Sunday's office. It says TikTok knows the app is addictive and profits the longer people scroll. It also alleges the company is intentionally avoiding steps to protect children.
The state also points to app stores, the places where people download apps. It alleges TikTok is dishonest about how adult content appears in the app, and it demands more transparency. Sunday said the case is not a scolding of social media as a whole, but an effort to hold accountable a company that values dollars over mental wellness.
Pennsylvania is not alone. In 2024 and 2025, 14 states and Washington, D.C. sued TikTok, saying the app is addictive for kids, harms their mental health and illegally collects their data. TikTok asked for some of those cases to be dismissed. Courts in New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington and Illinois said no.
Similar suits were filed in Texas, Florida, Kentucky, New Hampshire and Nebraska. Reuters reported that a Texas judge ruled in August that TikTok violated the state's consumer protection law in how it filtered content for children. Also in August, TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance agreed to a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which had alleged the company violated children's online privacy.
TikTok says it tries to minimize "content with overtly mature themes" for users under 18. Preset teen settings turn on automatically. They include:
Some settings, such as the daily limit, can be changed. TikTok also says settings may vary based on local laws.
Check your teen's settings and see whether the defaults are still on. Consider family pairing, a TikTok feature that lets a parent or guardian link their account to their teen's. It gives you control over content, privacy and other settings.
The article does not say how TikTok has responded to Pennsylvania's suit, and it gives no court dates. It is also unclear what the state would win if it prevails.
If your kids use TikTok, check their teen settings and consider family pairing to link your account to theirs.
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