Georgia Attorney General Leads Bipartisan Coalition in Urging Court Action Against TikTok

Attorney General Chris Carr has joined a bipartisan coalition of 22 attorneys general in urging a Tennessee court to enforce orders requiring TikTok to preserve and produce evidence in an ongoing multistate investigation. The investigation, initiated in 2022, seeks to determine whether TikTok is violating state consumer protection laws and potentially harming the mental health of children and teenagers.

“When it comes to social media, we’re working to protect our children from content that could prove harmful to their physical or mental health,” Carr stated. “With the assistance of our fellow attorneys general, we’re committed to conducting a thorough investigation of TikTok’s practices so we can ensure the rule of law is upheld and our kids are kept safe.”

Various states, including Georgia, have made requests for information regarding TikTok’s business practices. When TikTok failed to produce the requested information last year, Georgia and 45 other states filed an amicus brief supporting Tennessee’s enforcement action in state court to compel compliance. Despite the court ordering TikTok to provide relevant documents and witnesses for deposition on two occasions, the company has not fully complied with these directives.

The amicus brief highlights TikTok’s failure to preserve potentially relevant evidence and produce information in a usable format, which the attorneys general argue is hindering the multistate investigation. The brief underscores the necessity of a court resolution, warning that without such action, companies may feel emboldened to destroy relevant evidence, thus obstructing states’ ability to protect their residents.

As litigation proceeds in various states, those attorneys general joining the amicus brief will continue their investigation to understand the full extent of TikTok’s conduct and any potential consumer protection violations. These efforts are part of the coalition’s commitment to hold TikTok accountable for its alleged role in impacting youth mental health.

In addition to Carr, the attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming are also participating in the brief.