TikTok ban: all the news on attempts to ban the video platform

TikTok is getting sued by the state of Iowa over claims that it’s lying to parents about the presence of sexual content, drugs, alcohol, profanity, and other inappropriate material in the app. In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird claimed TikTok is making this kind of content “easily accessible” to young users while maintaining an inaccurate “12+” age rating on the Apple App Store.

As noted in the lawsuit, a 12-plus rating on the App Store means an app has “infrequent/mild” sexual content, profanity, crude humor, suggestive themes, and references to alcohol, tobacco, or drug use. However, the state of Iowa claims the content on TikTok’s app doesn’t fit this description, adding that it would receive a 17-plus label if “correctly” rated by TikTok. The state alleges TikTok’s “T” for “Teen” ratings in the Google Play Store and Microsoft Store are also inaccurate.