By Robert Burnson, Bloomberg

A judge said TikTok Inc. should have to face Californias claims that the platforms features are addictive and harmful to kids.

In a tentative ruling Wednesday, the judge said the company isnt immune from the states allegations that the platform preys on young people through algorithms that keep them scrolling to maximize profits.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Beth McGowen in San Jose tentatively denied the companys request to dismiss the suit under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 federal statute that shields companies from liability over comments, ads, pictures and videos on their platforms.

The judge reasoned that the states claims are based not on TikToks content or status as a publisher, but on the platforms design. She scheduled a hearing for Thursday for TikTok to challenge her conclusions before she issues a final ruling.

In 2024, California, New York, a dozen other states and the District of Columbia sued TikTok and its Beijing-based parent, ByteDance Ltd., alleging under consumer protection laws that the company deceives users about its child safety tools.

The allegedly addictive features include autoplay, infinite scrolling and livestreams. The states also targeted TikTok features like beauty filters, which they contend damage childrens self-esteem and mental health.

ByteDance and TikTok didnt immediately respond outside regular business hours to a request for comment.

TikTok, Snap Inc., Google and Meta Platforms Inc. are facing thousands of suits filed on behalf of young people who blame social media for their mental health struggles. The first jury trial over those claims is under way in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The case is People of the State of California v. TikTok Inc., 24CV449203, California Superior Court, Santa Clara County (San Jose).

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彭博社罗伯特·伯恩森报道

法官裁定，TikTok公司应就加利福尼亚州的指控进行回应，该指控称该平台的功能具有成瘾性并对儿童有害。

周三，法官在一项临时裁决中表示，该公司无法免除州政府的指控，即该平台通过算法诱使年轻人不断滚动屏幕以获取最大利润。

圣何塞圣克拉拉县高等法院法官贝丝·麦高恩初步驳回了该公司依据《通信规范法》第230条提出的驳回诉讼请求。这项1996年颁布的联邦法规旨在保护网络平台免于对用户发布的评论、广告、图片和视频承担法律责任。

法官认为，各州的指控并非基于TikTok的内容或其作为发布平台的身份，而是针对该平台的设计。她已安排于周四举行听证会，允许TikTok在最终裁决前对其结论提出质疑。

2024年，加利福尼亚州、纽约州及其他十余个州和哥伦比亚特区联合起诉短视频平台TikTok及其北京母公司字节跳动有限公司，指控该公司违反消费者保护法，就其儿童安全工具的功能对用户存在欺骗行为。

据称具有成瘾性的功能包括自动播放、无限滚动和直播流。各州还针对TikTok的美颜滤镜等功能提出质疑，认为这些功能会损害儿童的自我认同感和心理健康。

在非正常工作时段，字节跳动和TikTok未立即回应置评请求。

抖音国际版（TikTok）、色拉布公司（Snap Inc.）、谷歌和Meta平台公司正面临数千起诉讼，这些诉讼由年轻人提起，他们认为社交媒体应对其心理健康问题负责。首宗相关索赔案件的陪审团审判目前正在洛杉矶高等法院进行。

本案为加利福尼亚州人民诉TikTok公司案，案号24CV449203，由加利福尼亚州圣克拉拉县（圣何塞）高等法院审理。

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