{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-blackburn-demand-tiktok-documents", "Blumenthal & Blackburn Demand TikTok Documents", "2024-10-11", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), authors of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, wrote TikTok CEO Shou Chew requesting \u201cdocuments, communications, and research held by TikTok regarding the safety of minors on its platform.\u201d The request follows reports of a court filing from the Kentucky Attorney General\u2019s Office revealing TikTok executives\u2019 awareness of the platform\u2019s harm to young people and subsequent disregard of the mental and physical dangers the platform poses to children and teens.\n\nThe Senators wrote, \u201cTikTok has knowingly designed their products in a manner that can cause substantial harm to kids\u2014including fostering destructive addiction and amplifying child sexual exploitation. Rather than address these risks, TikTok instead seemingly misled the public about the safety of its platform.\u201d\n\nThe Senators continued, \u201cThese new disclosures highlight the pervasive and alarming failures of TikTok and other online platforms to protect kids and the pressing need for federal rules to require accountability, safeguards, and transparency, such as those required in the Senate-passed Kids Online Safety Act.\u201d\n\nIn today\u2019s letters, the Senators requested that TikTok provide documents and information previously produced to the Kentucky Attorney General\u2019s Office and other states Attorneys General.\n\nThe full text of the letter can be found here and below.\n\nOctober 11, 2024\n\nMr. Shou Zi Chew\n\nChief Executive Officer\n\nTikTok Inc.\n\n5800 Bristol Parkway\n\nCulver City, California 90230\n\nDear Mr. Chew:\n\nWe write in response to shocking revelations of TikTok\u2019s awareness of, and indifference to, its platform\u2019s substantial harm to children and teens, and to demand documents, communications, and research held by TikTok regarding the safety of minors on its platform. According to information contained in a court filing from the Kentucky Attorney General\u2019s Office, TikTok has knowingly designed their products in a manner that can cause substantial harm to kids \u2013 including fostering destructive addiction and amplifying child sexual exploitation.[1] Rather than address these risks, TikTok instead seemingly misled the public about the safety of its platform.[2]\n\nAmong the appalling revelations apparently reflected in documents TikTok produced to the Kentucky AG: TikTok users can exhibit signs of addiction after just 35 minutes of use and that addiction can lead to significant mental health impacts; its moderation efforts fail to catch a substantial amount of child sexual exploitation material and the promotion of pedophilia, and that it instructed its staff to turn a blind eye to underage users.[3] Moreover, according to the disclosures, TikTok held out announcements of new safety tools that its own executives knew were ineffective because they were \u201cuseful in a good talking point\u201d against concerns from the public and policymakers.[4]\n\nThese new disclosures highlight the pervasive and alarming failures of TikTok and other online platforms to protect kids and the pressing need for federal rules to require accountability, safeguards, and transparency, such as those required in the Senate-passed Kids Online Safety Act. In light of these outrageous disclosures, we request all documents and information that TikTok has previously produced to the Kentucky Attorney General\u2019s Office and other states Attorneys General no later than October 25, 2024.\n\nWe look forward to your prompt response.\n\nSincerely,\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:57:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-blackburn-demand-tiktok-documents"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8606039918959141, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}