October 30, 2026
Four things parents should know this Friday: West Virginia is suing TikTok over what a test account for a 13-year-old girl was shown, the full federal appeals court for Texas will rehear a fight over the state's kids' online-safety law, Health Canada added three more solvent "balloon blowing" toy kits to a warning, and a brand of ground cinnamon sold in 14 states was recalled for lead. Lawsuits describe allegations, not findings; nothing here is legal or medical advice.
West Virginia Sues TikTok, Saying a Test Account for a 13-Year-Old Girl Was Fed Sexually Suggestive Videos
West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey sued TikTok on Oct. 29 in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County (Attorney General v. TikTok Inc., No. CC-20-2026-C-1310) under the state's consumer protection law. His office says its Consumer Protection Division tested the app with two accounts, one registered to an adult and one to a 13-year-old girl: the child account "repeatedly received sexually suggestive content," while the adult account mostly got videos about home improvement and local restaurants. The state also alleges that TikTok's features make children "discoverable and reachable," exposing them to predators, and that the company failed to tell parents about safety gaps.
The complaint asks the court for civil penalties of up to $5,000 for each violation, restitution, and an order requiring TikTok "to implement effective age verification and age-appropriate safeguards for child users, including but not limited to parental controls, usage restrictions, crisis-response protocols, child predator detection measures." These are the state's allegations, not findings; the attorney general's release includes no response from TikTok. The attorney general's office notes it sued OpenAI earlier this month.
Source: West Virginia Attorney General
Full Fifth Circuit Will Rehear Texas's SCOPE Act Case, Wiping Out a July Ruling
On Oct. 28, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ordered that the challenges to Texas's Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act be "reheard by the court en banc with oral argument on a date hereafter to be fixed," meaning all of the court's active judges will hear the case instead of a three-judge panel. Under the court's rules, the panel's July 24, 2026 opinion is now vacated. The cases are Computer & Communications Industry Association v. Paxton (No. 24-50721) and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas v. Paxton (No. 25-50096), brought by tech industry groups and by a student group and others.
The 2023 law (Texas HB 18) limits how online services collect data from minors and target ads to them, and requires covered services to monitor and filter certain harmful content for known minors. The vacated panel ruling had held that the monitoring-and-filtering requirement challenged by the industry groups is preempted by federal law (Section 230). The new order doesn't say whether the law is in force or blocked while the case is reheard, and no argument date has been set; the court clerk will set a schedule for new briefs.
Source: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (en banc order)
Health Canada Adds Three More Solvent "Balloon Blowing" Toy Kits Sold on Amazon.ca to Its Warning
On Oct. 29, Health Canada expanded a December 2024 warning about children's balloon blowing kits, toys with a tube of solvent mixture and short straws that kids use to blow plastic bubbles. Three more kits are now named: the Giochi Preziosi Crystal Ball Bubble Maker (Amazon ASIN B00BTHC66E), the same kit in a blister pack (B00UM79F5M) and Plastic Bubbles 20Pcs (B0H83R2MV8), all previously sold on Amazon.ca by foreign third-party sellers. "Children's balloon blowing kits containing solvents are banned in Canada," the agency says.
Health Canada warns that kids who blow these balloons breathe in solvent vapors; blowing them for long periods may cause early signs of central nervous system depression, such as euphoria, hallucinations, dizziness and trouble with coordination, and prolonged exposure can lead to muscle twitching, unconsciousness and coma. Amazon Canada reported 120 of the newly named kits sold in Canada, on top of 127 of the original ones. No injuries have been reported, and the products have been removed from Amazon.ca. The agency's advice: "Consumers who have these affected products should immediately stop using them and dispose of the items according to municipal hazardous waste guidelines." The kits are made in Italy and China, according to the advisory.
Source: Health Canada
Wise Wife Ground Cinnamon Recalled in 14 States for Elevated Lead
SLR Food Distribution Inc. of Hicksville, N.Y., is recalling Wise Wife Brand Ground Cinnamon because it "has the potential to be contaminated with elevated levels of lead," according to the company's announcement posted by the FDA on Oct. 29. A sample tested by The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station found elevated lead. The cinnamon was sold in retail and grocery stores in Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin between Sept. 8, 2025 and June 28, 2026.
Look for a 110 g (3.88 oz) clear plastic container with a black screw-top cap, UPC 0688474302754 on the back label and a Best Before date of 4/25/2027. No illnesses have been reported. The notice warns that "if a child is exposed to enough lead for a prolonged period of time, such as weeks to months, permanent damage to the central nervous system may occur." The company says consumers "should not consume the recalled product and should either discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund." Questions go to SLR Food Distribution at 1-516-437-3782.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (company announcement)
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