TikTok class action accuses platform of not protecting kids, seeks damages
Global News
The civil claim was filed after Canadian privacy commissioners reached similar conclusions about TikTok's targeted advertising practices and age verification measures.
A proposed class-action lawsuit has been launched against TikTok, accusing the popular video-sharing platform of exposing children and teens to harmful content and using their data for targeted ads without their consent or knowledge.
The civil claim was filed in B.C. Supreme Court in October after federal and provincial privacy commissioners reached the same conclusions from a more than two-year investigation that also found TikTok had failed to keep young kids off the platform, despite the company saying the app is not intended for users under 13.
The lawyers behind the class action are now seeking other affected Canadians — not including those in Quebec — who used TikTok between October 2021 and October 2025 to sign on.
Linda Visser, a partner at Siskinds LLP which is bringing the class action alongside Rice Harbut Elliott LLP, told Global News in an email that the law firms have received “well over 100 inquiries” from potential claimants.
“Our hope is that through the class action we can get compensation for people whose information was misused, and then hopefully improve practices going forward so that companies are more transparent about what information is being collected and used,” she said in an interview.
Visser said she is hopeful the class action is certified sometime next year or early 2027 at the latest, but it will depend on the court’s availability.
She added the law firms are “still in the process of serving” the defendants, which include not just TikTok and its Canadian subsidiary but also its China-based owner ByteDance.
The claims in the lawsuit have yet to be proven in court. Visser said a hearing has been scheduled for early next year seeking to appoint a judge to the case.
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