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West Virginia AG Sues TikTok Over Child Safety Risks

By Drooid · Oct 29, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey filed a consumer-protection lawsuit against TikTok on Oct. 29, 2026.
McCuskey alleges TikTok’s recommendation system is engineered to keep children scrolling continuously.
McCuskey says TikTok failed to disclose safety gaps, leaving underage users vulnerable to predators.
Testing showed a 13-year-old’s TikTok feed displayed sexually suggestive content, unlike an adult’s feed.
The suit seeks restitution, civil penalties, legal fees, and mandated safety enhancements for the app.

History

In 1998 Congress passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which took effect on April 21 2000 to require verifiable parental consent for data from users under 13. After the FTC fined Google $170 million in 2019 for 4.5 million child-data breaches, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey sued TikTok on Oct 29 2026, alleging algorithmic exposure of 13-year-olds to sexual content.

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In 1998 Congress passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which took effect on April 21 2000 to require verifiable parental consent for data from users under 13. After the FTC fined Google $170 million in 2019 for 4.5 million child-data breaches, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey sued TikTok on Oct 29 2026, alleging algorithmic exposure of 13-year-olds to sexual content.

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