New Jersey enacts new social media restrictions for minors as Pennsylvania sues TikTok

TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- Officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania announced separate actions Tuesday aimed at addressing what they describe as the harmful effects of social media on children.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed three bills into law designed to increase protections for minors using social media platforms, including TikTok. Among them is the Kids Code Act, which officials described as the strongest legislation of its kind in the country.

The new laws limit advertising and data collection involving minors and establish strict privacy and safety settings for younger users.

Sherrill said social media companies are aware of the negative effects their products can have on children.

"Big tech isn't just the big tobacco of our era; they are worse. They design platforms that hijack our kids' attention spans," Sherrill said.

The governor also cited research she said was conducted by Meta.

"Back in 2019, Meta studied the mental health of people who deactivated Facebook and Instagram. Almost immediately, people reported they felt happier, they felt less alone, but Meta buried that research because it hurt their bottom line," Sherrill said.

State Sen. Raj Mukherji, a Democrat, said concerns about children's safety have evolved with the rise of social media.

"When I was a kid, our parents worried about strangers and who's talking to us at the park or the mall. And today we have to worry about who's DMing them, what algorithms are pushing into our kids' feeds," Mukherji said.

As part of the legislative package, a social media research center will be created and is expected to become operational in the fall.

Meanwhile, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a lawsuit against TikTok.

Sunday alleged that the company misrepresents the content available to children and intentionally designed the platform to be addictive.

"To achieve a 13+ age rating in app stores, TikTok claims mature audience content is infrequent on their apps. Our investigation reveals this could not be further from the truth," Sunday said.

According to Sunday, children can easily access adult material, including profanity, drug use and sexual situations.

The lawsuit seeks to require TikTok to implement barriers and safeguards to protect children from harmful content and to prevent addiction.

"TikTok designed their app to promote infinite scrolling that can deteriorate and decay a child's mental wellness," Sunday said.

The announcements in New Jersey and Pennsylvania reflect a shared focus on increasing protections for children who use social media platforms.