ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, joined a growing number of states suing TikTok, alleging the popular social media platform is designed to be dangerously addictive to young users and harms their mental health. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the lawsuit, which was filed in Hennepin County District Court, accusing TikTok of violating state consumer protection laws with its intentionally manipulative and deceptive practices, according to The Associated Press and CBS News.
“This stuff is digital nicotine,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a press conference.
At a press conference, Ellison referred to TikTok as “digital nicotine,” stating that the company, much like big tobacco, has engineered its product to be addictive. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok preys on young people’s “unfinished reward system in our children’s brains” and uses features such as “infinite scroll,” excessive push notifications, and personalized content recommendations to maximize engagement and profit. The lawsuit seeks to hold TikTok accountable and to force substantive changes in how the company operates, as reported by KAXE.
The lawsuit follows a broader trend of legal action against social media companies. Minnesota is one of at least two dozen states, including California, New York, and Utah, that have filed similar lawsuits against TikTok on the grounds of harming youth mental health. These legal actions often cite a national investigation launched by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in 2022. According to a report from The Star Tribune, a TikTok spokesperson has responded to similar lawsuits in the past by stating they are based on “misleading and inaccurate claims” and that the company has implemented “robust safety measures” to protect users.
The lawsuit also alleges that TikTok’s practices lead to other harms, including financial and sexual exploitation of children, and that the company has misrepresented its safety measures and content moderation effectiveness. In addition to seeking a permanent injunction against the alleged deceptive practices, the lawsuit seeks up to $25,000 for each instance a Minnesota child has accessed the platform, though Ellison’s office has not provided an estimate of the potential total.