A bipartisan group of 14 state attorneys general from across the US filed a lawsuit against social media platform TikTok Tuesday for harming the mental health of children. The team is co-led by the attorneys general of New York and California, Letitia James and Rob Bonta, respectively.

The factual allegations outlined in the suit include that the app is designed to be addictive and that it misrepresents itself as safe for children. It is also argued that minors are particularly susceptible to the harmful influence of the platform. The plaintiffs allege that despite there being internal documentation to show that the company knows the harmful impact of its product, it has continuously misrepresented itself to be a safe space and exaggerated the effectiveness of in-built features designed to combat addiction.

The suit particularly observes a spike in depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicidal ideation among youth across the nation, a claim which is buttressed by various research studies. Different sources were cited to demonstrate how widely the platform is used by children, and also how addictive it can be.

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy was quoted as saying: “If we tell a child, use the force of your willpower to control how much time you’re spending, you’re pitting a child against the world’s greatest product designers.” Murthy said that social media giants should “step up and take responsibility.”

TikTok is also facing a number of other challenges in the US, including lawsuits for breaching the privacy of minors as well as legislation which could ban it from the country.

Organizations such as Amnesty International and The Guardian have also reported on the harmful impacts of TikTok.