Missouri – Missouri officials are turning their attention to what children see when they scroll through TikTok, and whether the platform gives families a clear picture of the risks involved.
The investigation is not limited to troubling videos. It also reaches into the technology that chooses what young users watch, the information the app gathers, and the features that may encourage them to stay online longer.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced a formal investigation into TikTok, Inc., seeking to determine whether the company has misled families, exploited young users or exposed Missouri children to harm through the way its platform operates.
“Parents deserve the truth about how TikTok interacts with their children, how the platform identifies underage users, and what content it pushes into their feeds,” said Attorney General Hanaway.
“If TikTok has misled families, concealed risks, or engineered features that harm Missouri children, our office will act without hesitation.”
As part of the inquiry, Hanaway’s office issued a Civil Investigative Demand, or CID, requiring TikTok to provide documents and explanations about its recommendation systems. Investigators want to understand how the app selects and promotes videos for children, including through its main content recommendation feature.
The demand also covers TikTok for Younger Users. Officials are seeking details about how the company uses signals such as watch time and reactions when deciding which material to show. Recent reporting has raised concerns that these systems could direct inappropriate or harmful content toward young audiences.
Another major focus is the company’s approach to keeping younger users engaged. The state wants business plans, internal communications and discussions that could show whether features were developed to increase the amount of time children spend on the platform.
Investigators are also asking how TikTok responds to dangerous online challenges and fake or inauthentic accounts. The company must provide information about its work with outside youth-safety organizations, experiments involving younger users and internal evaluations of how platform features affect behavior.
Age verification and personal information are under examination as well. The investigation covers data collected from children under 13, teenagers under 18 and young adults under 24. Officials want to see how TikTok estimates or verifies ages, what protective rules it applies and whether those safeguards are actually enforced.
The state is also requesting TikTok’s internal research into children’s experiences on the app. That includes studies concerning mental health, problematic use and exposure to potentially harmful content, alongside broader research into how younger audiences interact with the platform.
Under Missouri law, TikTok must respond to the investigative demand and turn over the required records by November 13, 2026. The company could face legal penalties if it fails to comply.
The investigation is intended to establish what the company’s internal records show; it is not, by itself, a finding that TikTok violated the law. Missouri residents who believe they have encountered harmful or deceptive social media practices can submit a complaint through the Attorney General’s Office at ago.mo.gov.
