Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Historic Victory Making Texas the First State in the Nation to Hold TikTok Liable for Harming Children

AUSTIN, TX -- Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a major legal victory in the fight to hold TikTok accountable for harming children. This makes Texas the first state in the nation to hold TikTok liable for misleading parents about the safety of its platform and for exposing children to inappropriate content.

In January 2025, Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TikTok, one of the largest social media platforms, for deceptively marketing its app as safe for minors, despite regularly showing inappropriate and explicit material to children. Attorney General Paxton also previously sued TikTok for violating the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (“SCOPE”) Act by unlawfully operating its platform in a manner that puts the online safety and privacy of Texas children at risk.

Now, in a first-of-its-kind victory, District Judge Cory Liu has found TikTok liable for lying about its safety standards and concealing the truth about the prevalence of inappropriate and explicit material. Specifically, TikTok claimed it would remove graphic videos such as those depicting drugs, nudity, alcohol, injuries, and profanity. However, such videos have remained accessible to minors on the platform, even under “Restricted Mode.”

“TikTok sacrificed the safety and innocence of children for engagement and numbers, and now they are being held accountable. Texas is now the first state in the nation to hold TikTok liable for lying to parents about the safety of its platform and exposing children to harmful content,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I will continue to go after TikTok and every social media company that exposes children to predators, inappropriate content, addictive features, or any other dangerous aspect of their platforms. I will never stop fighting to protect Texas children.”

Attorney General Paxton will now proceed to trial against TikTok, where relief and penalties will be determined. The trial is expected to be set for next month.

To read the ruling, click here.