A group of 15 Republican U.S. state attorneys general demanded on Tuesday that executives at Apple and Alphabet-subsidiary Google strip TikTok of its age rating that classifies the video-sharing app as appropriate for teens.
Erin Mulvaney for The Wall Street Journal:
In letters sent to Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai and Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, the state officials… said TikTok contains frequent adult content, including about sex and drug use, and can only plausibly qualify for a mature or “17+” rating, not the current teen classifications listed on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
The attorneys general said Google and Apple should be responsible for ensuring accurate age ratings and warned they may face legal action from the states if TikTok’s rating isn’t addressed.
“Parents are the first line of defense, but their job is being made more difficult by ratings that misrepresent the true content found on the platform,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in a statement. “It’s past time for Apple and Google to do their part in helping parents keep their kids safe online and increase their TikTok ratings.”
MacDailyNews Take: Currently, TikTok is No.1 in Entertainment on Apple’s App Store with an age rating of “12+” for:
• Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity
• Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
• Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
• Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
• Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References.
If the content rating for TikTok is wrong, Apple, Google, and TikTok should correct them.
We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone. Folks who want porn can buy an Android phone. – Steve Jobs, April, 2010
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