On August 19, 2025, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison took a bold step in the ongoing battle between states and social media giants, filing a lawsuit against TikTok in Hennepin County District Court. The suit, which quickly gained national attention, accuses TikTok of deliberately crafting its platform to be addictive for young users, exploiting children for profit, and violating Minnesota’s consumer protection laws. Ellison’s action places Minnesota among the growing ranks of states confronting Big Tech over the mental health crisis among America’s youth.
At the heart of Ellison’s complaint are TikTok’s now-infamous design features: recommendation algorithms, infinite scroll, push notifications, and appearance-altering filters. According to Ellison, these are not innocent tools for entertainment, but calculated mechanisms to maximize user engagement—and, by extension, company profits—at the expense of children’s well-being. "If you know nothing else about TikTok, you know it’s extremely addicting," Ellison said at a press conference, as reported by Spokesman-Recorder. "The addictiveness is the result of years of intentional decisions that TikTok’s leadership made in the pursuit of profit. Simply put, the more people TikTok can get addicted, the more money they make, and the more their users’ mental health suffers. This conduct is not just deeply immoral, it’s illegal."
The lawsuit also shines a spotlight on TikTok LIVE, a feature that allows users—including minors—to send and receive virtual gifts using unlicensed digital currency. Investigations, including TikTok’s own internal reviews, have found that this system can lead to sexual and financial exploitation of minors, with risks of grooming and inappropriate transactions. The complaint argues that TikTok’s virtual gifting system functions as an illegal money transmitter and exposes children to predatory behavior in a largely unregulated digital economy.
The numbers behind Ellison’s allegations are startling. A recent survey cited in the lawsuit found that 54% of Minnesota’s 11th graders reported feeling down, depressed, or hopeless several days a week, and nearly 70% reported feeling anxious or on edge. Studies referenced by Ellison’s office indicate that heavy social media use can double the risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in adolescents. Experts point out that teens are especially vulnerable, as their brains are still developing—particularly the regions tied to risk-taking and reward—while impulse control lags behind. TikTok’s design, critics argue, takes full advantage of this developmental imbalance, fueling a cycle of compulsive use that’s tough to break.
Sean Padden, a middle-school health teacher from the Roseville Area school district, testified at Ellison’s news conference about the real-world impact he’s observed in classrooms. "I have witnessed a correlation between increased TikTok use and an irrefutable spike in student mental health issues," Padden stated, as reported by Fortune. He described students struggling with depression, anxiety, anger, lowered self-esteem, and diminished attention spans, all of which he attributes in part to the platform’s relentless stream of short, gratifying videos.
Ellison’s lawsuit doesn’t stand alone. It follows a broader, bipartisan investigation launched in 2022 by 14 states into the effects of TikTok on young users’ mental health. Since then, over 20 states—now approximately 24, according to Ellison’s office—have filed similar lawsuits accusing TikTok of deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud. Other tech companies, including Meta Platforms (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram), Snapchat, and Roblox, are facing their own legal challenges for allegedly designing addictive features that harm children.
The Minnesota complaint seeks sweeping remedies. Ellison is asking the court to declare TikTok’s practices deceptive, unfair, or unconscionable under state law; to impose a permanent injunction against these practices; and to award up to $25,000 in damages for each instance a Minnesota child accessed TikTok. While Ellison declined to estimate the total damages, he noted, "hundreds of thousands of Minnesota kids" have TikTok installed on their devices. "We’re not trying to shut them down, but we are insisting that they clean up their act," Ellison emphasized, as quoted by The Independent. "There are legitimate uses of products like TikTok. But like all things, they have to be used properly and safely."
TikTok, for its part, has pushed back forcefully against the allegations. Nathaniel Brown, a company spokesperson, said in a statement: "This lawsuit is based on misleading and inaccurate claims that fail to recognize the robust safety measures TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support the well-being of our community." Brown highlighted that teen accounts on TikTok come with over 50 safety features and settings, including parental controls, screen time management, and content filters. "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," Brown added, as reported by Yahoo News.
Ellison, however, remains unconvinced. He argues that TikTok’s safety features are insufficient and do not address the core issue: the platform’s fundamental design is addictive and manipulative, particularly for minors. "This isn’t about free speech. I’m sure they’re gonna holler that. It’s actually about deception, manipulation, misrepresentation," Ellison said. "This is about a company knowing the dangers, and the dangerous effects of its product, but making and taking no steps to mitigate those harms or inform users of the risks."
The lawsuit arrives at a time when the future of TikTok in the United States is uncertain. President Donald Trump, who previously advocated for banning the app over data security concerns related to its Chinese ownership (ByteDance), is now attempting to negotiate a deal to bring TikTok under American control. Ironically, Trump himself has amassed over 15 million followers on the platform. Regardless of who ultimately owns TikTok, Ellison insists the company must comply with state laws designed to protect children and consumers.
As the legal battle unfolds, Ellison’s office is encouraging Minnesota residents to share their experiences regarding TikTok’s impact on youth mental health through an online complaint system. "We’re asking people to contact us at the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office," Ellison said, urging parents and community members to visit the office’s website and make their voices heard.
Minnesota’s lawsuit is more than just another legal filing—it’s part of a growing movement demanding greater accountability from tech platforms that wield enormous influence over young lives. As more states join the fight and public scrutiny intensifies, the outcome of this case could set a powerful precedent for how digital platforms are regulated in the future, especially when it comes to the well-being of children and teens.
With the stakes high and the eyes of the nation watching, Minnesota’s legal challenge against TikTok may well mark a turning point in the debate over the responsibilities of Big Tech—and the rights of America’s youth to a safer digital world.
