Key facts
- TikTok and ByteDance will pay $400 million to settle a U.S. lawsuit over child privacy violations.
- The settlement resolves allegations that TikTok violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
- The lawsuit focused on data collection from users under 13 and failure to honor deletion requests.
- TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and $100 million upon vacating a prior consent decree against Musical.ly.
- The Department of Justice stated the settlement is a major victory for American children and parents.
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have agreed to pay $400 million to the U.S. to settle a lawsuit alleging violations of children's privacy laws. The settlement, announced by the Department of Justice, resolves claims that the social media platform collected personal information from users under 13 without parental consent and failed to honor requests to delete accounts.
The agreement includes an immediate payment of $300 million, with an additional $100 million to be paid once a prior consent decree against TikTok's predecessor, Musical.ly, is vacated. The Department of Justice described the settlement as a significant recovery and a major victory for protecting children online.
According to the Justice Department, the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in 2024, alleged that TikTok and ByteDance violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate stated that companies collecting children's personal information must comply with the law.
Since the lawsuit was filed, TikTok has implemented substantial changes to its ownership, management, compliance functions, and privacy practices. These changes include strengthening safeguards for younger users, improving age-related controls, and enhancing parental oversight. The Justice Department acknowledged these improvements in reaching the resolution, noting they advanced the public interest and strengthened protections for families.