TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to settle a US government lawsuit alleging that the video-sharing platform violated federal laws protecting children’s online privacy.
The US Department of Justice announced the settlement on Friday, saying TikTok would pay $300 million immediately and another $100 million after a court order vacates an earlier consent decree involving Musical.ly, the app that preceded TikTok.
ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, is also named in the settlement. The company sold a majority stake in its US business earlier this year as part of efforts to avoid a ban by the Trump administration. US media reports have said ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake in TikTok US.
The Justice Department described the agreement as one of the largest recoveries ever obtained under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, known as COPPA.
The law prohibits websites and online services from collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.
The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission sued TikTok in 2024, alleging that the company had collected personal information from millions of children without notifying or obtaining permission from their parents.
The lawsuit claimed children were able to use TikTok despite age restrictions and that the platform collected information from young users without adequate parental involvement. Government officials also alleged that accounts created through a special “Kids Mode” for children under 13 collected information including email addresses and other personal data.
The case followed an earlier US action against Musical.ly in 2019. ByteDance had acquired Musical.ly in 2017 before merging it into TikTok.
TikTok did not immediately comment on the settlement.
The agreement comes as governments and regulators in several countries increase scrutiny of social media platforms over their treatment of children and the protection of minors’ personal information.
In the European Union, regulators opened an investigation into TikTok in 2024 under the Digital Services Act. In July, the European Commission accused the platform of failing to provide adequate protections for children through its account settings.
The EU said TikTok’s settings could expose minors to risks including cyberbullying and predatory behaviour. The company could face a substantial fine if regulators confirm the preliminary findings.
EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen said strong protections for children should be built into platforms by default rather than requiring young users to activate them.
The European Commission said TikTok’s current settings allowed minors’ accounts and content to be seen more widely than permitted under EU rules.
The UK is also examining TikTok’s child-safety practices. Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom opened an investigation in July into whether the company is meeting its legal responsibilities to protect children from harmful content.
The investigation will examine TikTok’s age-verification system and whether the platform has taken reasonable steps to comply with UK requirements.
The latest US settlement adds to growing regulatory pressure on TikTok as authorities across major markets demand stronger safeguards for children using social media platforms.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
RSS