Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed suit against TikTok on Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court, alleging the short-video platform violates state consumer-protection laws by deploying "manipulative" design features that create habitual dependence among adolescents. The complaint says TikTok’s livestream, gifting and recommendation tools amount to "digital nicotine" and contribute to rising rates of depression and anxiety. Minnesota seeks a court order to curb the practices and civil penalties of up to $25,000 for each instance in which a Minnesota child accessed the service—exposure Ellison estimated reaches hundreds of thousands of users. TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, rejected the accusations as "misleading and inaccurate," pointing to more than 50 safety settings on teen accounts and a Family Pairing tool that lets parents control screen time and content filters. Minnesota’s action brings the number of states suing TikTok to roughly 24, underscoring growing bipartisan scrutiny of social-media impacts on youth. On the same day, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford lodged a separate complaint against messaging app Kik and its owner MediaLab AI, claiming the platform’s low barriers to anonymous sign-ups have allowed child predators to share sexual-abuse material. Ford said the state will seek injunctive relief and other penalties to force the company to strengthen safeguards for minors. The twin filings reflect a widening state-level campaign to hold social-media companies liable for features officials say prioritize engagement and profit over the safety and mental health of children.