Citizens Gavel, an innovative civic technology organization, has taken significant legal action against the global social media platform, TikTok.
The organization has filed a lawsuit, accusing TikTok of failing to enforce adequate safeguards to prevent the spread of harmful and exploitative content that involves minors. This legal move underscores the rising concerns about the safety of young users on the platform, as well as the responsibility of social media companies to protect them from online abuse.
Citizens Gavel’s legal action is a direct response to what the organization perceives as a neglectful approach by TikTok in addressing these crucial issues despite being alerted multiple times.
Sylvester Agih, a Senior Legal Analyst at Citizens Gavel, expressed the organization’s growing concern over TikTok’s evolving user dynamics and its failure to keep pace with the risks associated with the platform’s increasing popularity among young people.
Agih pointed out that Citizens Gavel had been closely monitoring TikTok’s development and had observed troubling trends, such as the exploitation of minors and the increasing number of harmful, inappropriate activities being encouraged by some adult users.
These activities, according to Agih, were in stark contrast to TikTok’s intended purpose as a platform for creative expression, highlighting a shift in the platform’s culture that puts young users in danger.
In an interview with News Central TV, Agih emphasized that the organization had already taken proactive steps to raise these concerns directly with TikTok. Two months prior to filing the lawsuit, Citizens Gavel reached out to the platform with a formal complaint, detailing specific incidents and offering recommendations on how to mitigate the risks.
While TikTok did respond initially, Agih noted that the platform’s actions appeared to be insufficient, addressing only the symptoms of the problem rather than tackling its underlying causes. This response, according to Agih, was inadequate and prompted Citizens Gavel to escalate the matter to the courts.
The failure of TikTok to implement lasting solutions to address the exploitation of minors led Citizens Gavel to seek judicial intervention. The lawsuit seeks to compel TikTok to take more effective and comprehensive measures to protect vulnerable users from harm.
Agih stressed that the organization’s goal is not just to bring attention to the issue but to push for concrete, enforceable changes that would create a safer environment for children and adolescents on the platform. By seeking a court order, Citizens Gavel aims to ensure that TikTok is held accountable for its role in safeguarding its users, especially those most at risk.
Agih further explained that the core issue lies in the platform’s failure to recognize and address the deeper, systemic problems contributing to the exploitation of minors. He explained that TikTok’s current approach of simply responding to specific complaints was akin to treating surface-level symptoms without addressing the root causes.
This lack of comprehensive action, Agih argued, was precisely why Citizens Gavel decided to pursue a legal path, urging the court to mandate that TikTok implement the necessary safeguards.
The hope is that through legal intervention, the platform will be required to make significant changes that go beyond superficial fixes, ensuring that the safety of young users is prioritized and adequately protected.
