TikTok sued the government — oral arguments start in September

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The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, on March 18, 2023, in Boston. TikTok’s suit against the federal government will be heard in court in September. | Michael Dwyer

TikTok’s suit against the federal government will be heard in court in September.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered oral arguments for the case to start in September. According to Reuters, both TikTok and the Justice Department are seeking a ruling by Dec. 6 so that if deemed necessary, either group can seek Supreme Court review.

The suit came after President Joe Biden signed a bill into law that could lead to TikTok facing a ban in the U.S. The law requires TikTok to divest from ByteDance. If the company doesn’t do that, then app stores and internet hosting services wouldn’t be allowed to host TikTok.

Congress passed the law in response to concerns over national security.

TikTok and ByteDance are challenging the law based on First Amendment grounds. “By banning all online platforms and software applications offered by ‘TikTok’ and all ByteDance subsidiaries, Congress has made a law curtailing massive amounts of protected speech,” the suit claimed.

Meanwhile, another state has sued TikTok.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers filed a lawsuit against TikTok, claiming it violated Nebraska’s consumer protection laws. In a press release, Hilgers pointed toward content on the TikTok app, including videos with sexual content and also videos that “drive body image issues.”

“Parents deserve to be fully and truthfully informed so they can help their kids make positive, healthy choices,” said Hilgers. “Our office will not stand by while social media platforms mislead parents while dosing digital poison to our children.”

The suit filed in the District Court of Lancaster County, Nebraska, names Tiktok and ByteDance as defendants and was filed on May 22.

Much of the text in the suit is redacted.

The suit claims that TikTok is harmful for Nebraska youth and is designed to be addictive. Nebraska alleges TikTok is aware of the app’s harmful effects and that TikTok is held liable.

“Defendants have knowingly, intentionally, and deceptively promoted compulsive and unhealthy use of the TikTok platform by Nebraska minors in order to exploit their user data and increase Defendants’ advertising revenues,” the suit claimed.

During Nebraska’s investigation of TikTok, the state said it found “overtly mature, inappropriate, and harmful content” on the TikTok app.

“The State did not go looking for this content,” the suit alleged. “Instead, the TikTok algorithm affirmatively promoted it to accounts registered as Nebraska teens, including teens as young as 13 years old, often within just minutes of browsing.”

Nebraska is seeking that the defendants be held liable and that the state receive $2,000 per violation of civil penalties.

“TikTok has industry-leading safeguards to support teens’ well-being, including age-restricted features, parental controls, an automatic 60-minute time limit for people under 18, and more,” a spokesperson for TikTok told CBS News. “We will continue working to address these industry-wide concerns.”

Previously, Utah also filed a suit over TikTok’s alleged violations of consumer protection law back in 2023. Indiana and Iowa have also filed suits against the social media company.