Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken legal action against the social media giant TikTok, accusing the platform of misleading its users, particularly minors, about the nature of its content. The lawsuit, filed recently, claims that TikTok's representation of its service as a safe space for children is fundamentally untruthful, given the easy access to explicit and inappropriate material within the app.

An investigation spearheaded by Paxton's office revealed a concerning number of videos with graphic content, depicting drug use, nudity, alcohol consumption, and profanity, which were readily available to the app's younger audience. Contrary to TikTok's assertions that such material is "infrequent" and "mild," the investigation suggests otherwise. “TikTok actively worked to deceive parents and lure children onto their app despite the presence of an overwhelming amount of profane and illicit material,” Paxton said, according to a statement from the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Paxton's previous legal challenge to TikTok focused on alleged violations of the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (“SCOPE”) Act. The act was designed to protect the online safety and privacy of children in Texas, Paxton's lawsuit suggests TikTok has operated its platform in ways that jeopardize these safeguards.