On August 19, 2025, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stood at the Minnesota State Capitol and delivered a message that echoed far beyond the state’s borders. Announcing a lawsuit against TikTok, Ellison accused the social media giant of "preying on Minnesota’s young people" through what he described as intentionally manipulative, addictive, and exploitative practices. The move marks Minnesota’s entry into a swelling tide of legal action against TikTok, as nearly half of U.S. states—Democratic and Republican alike—have filed suit against the platform, alleging harm to children and violations of consumer protection laws.
Ellison did not mince words at the news conference, repeatedly likening TikTok to "digital nicotine." He asserted, "Just like big tobacco designs its products to addict them, TikTok is working to create TikTok addicts, and the worst part is it’s working. TikTok is profiting, making big money, and our kids are paying a heavy price." According to the St. Cloud Times, Ellison’s lawsuit claims that TikTok’s algorithm is engineered to foster habitual use among young people, creating a compulsive need to scroll endlessly through videos—a design choice that, he argued, is no accident.
The complaint, filed in Hennepin County District Court, is sweeping in its allegations. It asserts that TikTok knowingly misrepresents the safety of its platform and fails to comply with Minnesota’s commerce laws. Among the features called out are the app’s "infinite scroll," push notifications, and virtual filters—tools Ellison says are designed to keep young users glued to their screens, often at the expense of their mental, physical, and financial well-being. The lawsuit also targets TikTok LIVE, a feature that allows users to livestream content and exchange virtual currency. According to Ellison’s office, TikTok operates "an illegal money transfer system through TikTok LIVE," profiting from what he described as the financial and sexual exploitation of children.
Ellison’s complaint is bolstered by data and expert testimony. He cited internal TikTok data showing that children aged 13 to 17 check the app an average of 17 times per day, spending about two hours daily on the platform. More than 20% of teenagers reportedly access TikTok between midnight and 5 a.m., raising concerns about sleep deprivation and its cascading effects on mental health. The lawsuit references a 2023 University of Minnesota study linking TikTok use to a range of troubling outcomes, including anxiety, depression, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.
Sean Padden, a middle school health teacher in the Twin Cities, joined Ellison at the news conference to offer a firsthand account of TikTok’s impact on students. "Over the past several years, I have witnessed a correlation between increased usage of TikTok and an irrefutable spike in student mental health issues," Padden said, according to KEYC. He described a litany of problems: depression, anxiety, anger management issues, self-esteem depletion, and a general inability among students to manage stress or evaluate media messaging. Padden explained that TikTok’s algorithm bombards young users with quick, targeted reels, often exposing them to inappropriate content and unsafe challenges. "This algorithm often exposes students to inappropriate materials and content which coaxes them into performing unsafe challenges, as well as reels that rapidly switch from uplifting content to depressing content, acting as an emotional roller coaster, which these students struggle to find the tools to navigate," he added.
Ellison’s office also alleges that TikTok’s monetization features, including the use of Disney characters and animated emojis as digital currency, are specifically designed to appeal to children. The complaint claims that hundreds of thousands of minors are able to bypass the platform’s minimum age restrictions for TikTok LIVE, exposing them to potential exploitation. "When you combine livestreaming with virtual currency, you get a strip club," Ellison said, painting a stark picture of the risks he believes the platform poses to children.
The lawsuit seeks to force TikTok to make substantive changes to its operations, including more effective age restrictions, improved safety measures, and greater transparency about the risks of the platform. Ellison is asking the court for penalties of $25,000 per violation of Minnesota’s consumer protection laws, as well as additional monetary relief to address the alleged harms and deter future misconduct. Families impacted by TikTok are being encouraged to file complaints with the Attorney General’s office, and Ellison says he is actively seeking more witnesses for the lawsuit.
TikTok, for its part, has pushed back strongly against the allegations. In a statement provided to multiple outlets, the company described the lawsuit as "misleading and inaccurate" and emphasized the steps it has taken to protect young users. "Teen accounts on TikTok come with 50+ features and settings designed to help young people safely express themselves, discover and learn. Through our Family Pairing tool, parents can view or customize 20+ content and privacy settings, including screen time, content filters, and our time away feature to pause a teen’s access to our app," the company said. TikTok also noted that monetization is restricted to users 18 and older, and that it has voluntarily implemented robust safety measures to support the well-being of its community.
The broader context for Minnesota’s lawsuit is a national reckoning with the power—and potential dangers—of social media. According to the Pew Research Center, an estimated 63% of U.S. teens aged 13 to 17 use TikTok, making it one of the most influential platforms among young people. Lawmakers and regulators across the country have raised concerns about the app’s addictive design, the potential for exposure to harmful content, and the possibility that user data could be shared with the Chinese government, given TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. In 2024, Congress voted overwhelmingly to require ByteDance to sell TikTok, citing national security risks, though enforcement has been repeatedly delayed.
Ellison’s lawsuit is not an attempt to shut TikTok down, he emphasized, but rather a call for accountability and reform. "We’re not trying to shut them down, but we are insisting that they clean up their act," he said. The case is expected to be closely watched, both in Minnesota and nationally, as states and the federal government continue to grapple with how best to protect young people in the digital age.
As the legal battle unfolds, one thing is clear: the conversation about social media’s impact on youth is far from over, and Minnesota’s lawsuit against TikTok has added fresh urgency—and some very pointed questions—to the debate.
