The news: 13 states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, alleging that the video platform’s design intentionally hooks children and harms their safety and mental health. The states are seeking changes to specific product features and fines on TikTok.

• Unlike last year’s lawsuit against Meta, in which 40 states jointly sued over similar concerns about child safety, the states are not merging their suits for a federal trial: TikTok will have to face suits in 14 separate courts due to varying consumer protection regulations.
• The flurry of state lawsuits adds to TikTok’s existing legal woes. The company is currently on trial, contesting the Biden administration’s proposed ban, which would force the platform to sell to a US company or pull out of the country by January 19.