By skyforbes 
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AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton dropped a legal bombshell Monday, filing a blistering lawsuit against TikTok that could reshape the app’s future in the U.S. and reignite a national firestorm over kids, privacy, and the Chinese-owned platform’s grip on American teens. The suit, lodged in Travis County, accuses TikTok of flouting Texas’ new Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act (HB 18), alleging the app’s lax controls expose minors to predators, mental health risks, and unchecked data harvesting. With 170 million U.S. users — many under 18 — this isn’t just a Lone Star skirmish; it’s a cultural flashpoint.
Paxton’s filing pulls no punches. It claims TikTok “knowingly” violates HB 18, a 2023 law mandating parental consent for kids’ accounts, robust content filters, and limits on data collection. The AG’s office cites a sting operation where investigators posed as teens, uncovering how predators could exploit TikTok’s messaging and live-stream features. “This platform is a playground for danger, and they’ve done squat to lock the gates,” Paxton said at a press conference outside the Capitol, flanked by parent advocates clutching photos of kids lost to suicide or abuse linked to online harms. The suit…