TikTok targeted Quebec children with illegal ads, lawsuit alleges

A TikTok logo is shown on a phone in San Francisco on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of a Quebec mother of two alleges social media giant TikTok has targeted children with ads on its app, which is illegal under the province’s Consumer Protection Act.

The suit, filed in Quebec Superior Court in September, also accuses the company of systemic privacy violations, including illegal data collection, ineffective age verification and breaches of various laws like the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

The suit alleges TikTok “systematically collect[s] personal information about children under the age of 14,” adding that this information is particularly sensitive when “considering the best interests of the child.”

The suit goes on to say that the data collected is then used to personalize the content that users see when they are on TikTok and deliver targeted advertisements.

The document says the platform is designed in a way that allows minors to easily falsify their birthdates to access the app, and that TikTok has failed to implement effective age verification measures despite available technology.

Moreover, it alleges that the presence of children on the platform is widespread and documented by multiple sources.

It cites data from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada showing that 40 per cent of Quebec youth aged 6 to 17 have a TikTok account, including 17 per cent of children aged 6 to 12.

The lawsuit also cites an investigative report that states TikTok has deleted approximately 500,000 accounts each year because the account holders were likely minors under the age of 13, adding that the “defendants have actual and precise knowledge of the massive presence of Quebec children under the age of 14 on TikTok.”

According to the suit, these breaches have exposed children to manipulative ads, negative body image and premature sexualization. It also alleges the violations could lead to fraud and emotional distress.

The lawsuit is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

If the court authorizes the class-action, any person who has resided in Quebec and created a TikTok account from Oct. 7, 2022, onwards would potentially be eligible for compensation.

CTV News contacted the lawyers representing the plaintiff for comment, but did not hear back by publication time.