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TikTok settles DOJ children's privacy lawsuit for $400 million
Key points
- TikTok and ByteDance settled with the DOJ for $400 million.
- The lawsuit, filed in 2024, alleged COPPA violations.
- TikTok collected data from users under 13 without consent.
- Settlement includes stronger age controls and parental oversight.
- The companies did not admit wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
- TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and $100 million later.
- The $100 million payment is contingent on vacating a prior consent decree against Musical.ly.
- The DOJ alleged TikTok did not delete accounts when parents requested.
- Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate stated children and parents are better protected.
- Google's YouTube paid $170 million in 2019 for COPPA violations.
- Epic Games paid $275 million in 2022 for COPPA violations.
- Meta faces potential penalties exceeding hundreds of billions of dollars for COPPA violations.
- The DOJ announced the settlement on Friday.
- The complaint was filed in August 2024 alongside the FTC.
- The DOJ characterized the settlement as one of the largest recoveries ever.
- Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. commented on the settlement.
- TikTok's US arm changed ownership in January, forming a joint venture.
- Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX are investors in the new TikTok US joint venture.
- The 2019 Musical.ly settlement was for $5.7 million.
- The FTC referred a new investigation to the DOJ last year.
Settlement Reached in Privacy Lawsuit
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have finalized a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). This agreement resolves a lawsuit initiated by the DOJ in 2024 concerning alleged violations of children's online privacy laws.
Allegations of COPPA Violations
The DOJ's lawsuit claimed that TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Specifically, the platform was accused of allowing millions of children under the age of 13 to use the service and collecting their personal information without obtaining the necessary parental consent. The 2024 case also alleged that TikTok failed to comply with parental requests to delete their children's data and allowed children to remain on the platform for years despite prior federal action regarding children's privacy.
The settlement amount is noted by the DOJ as one of the largest recoveries ever obtained for a COPPA-related case.
New Protections for Young Users
Beyond the financial payment, the settlement mandates new measures to enhance protections for young users. These include the implementation of stronger age-related controls, additional safeguards for children, and mechanisms designed to provide parents with increased oversight of their children’s activity and personal information on the platform. However, the agreement does not require TikTok or ByteDance to admit any wrongdoing.
Company Changes Noted by DOJ
The Justice Department acknowledged that since the 2024 lawsuit, TikTok has undergone significant changes in its ownership, management, and compliance functions. The DOJ stated that the app has made strides in privacy protections.
Updates
- The 2019 Musical.ly settlement was for $5.7 million.
- The FTC referred a new investigation to the DOJ last year.
- Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. commented on the settlement.
- TikTok's US arm changed ownership in January, forming a joint venture.
- Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX are investors in the new TikTok US joint venture.
- The DOJ announced the settlement on Friday.
- The complaint was filed in August 2024 alongside the FTC.
- The DOJ characterized the settlement as one of the largest recoveries ever.
- TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and $100 million later.
- The $100 million payment is contingent on vacating a prior consent decree against Musical.ly.
- The DOJ alleged TikTok did not delete accounts when parents requested.
- Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate stated children and parents are better protected.
- Google's YouTube paid $170 million in 2019 for COPPA violations.
- Epic Games paid $275 million in 2022 for COPPA violations.
- Meta faces potential penalties exceeding hundreds of billions of dollars for COPPA violations.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Primary sources
CVE CVE-2026-5823110.0 CRITICALHow outlets covered it
TikTok, ByteDance, and affiliated companies reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The settlement addresses claims that TikTok knowingly allowed underage users to create accounts outside its restricted "Kids Mode" and collected their personal data without parental consent. This resolution follows a 2024 lawsuit and a prior 2019 settlement involving TikTok's predecessor, Musical.ly, for similar issues.
TikTok has reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over a 2024 lawsuit alleging violations of federal children’s privacy laws. This settlement addresses claims that TikTok collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent and failed to delete their accounts upon request, highlighting ongoing legal scrutiny of social media companies regarding children's online safety.
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to settle a 2024 lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) alleging violations of child privacy laws. This settlement addresses accusations of collecting data from underage users and failing to comply with parental requests to delete child accounts, marking one of the largest recoveries under U.S. federal child privacy law.
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to the US Department of Justice to settle a lawsuit alleging violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). This settlement addresses claims that TikTok collected data from users under 13 without parental consent, marking one of the largest child privacy settlements to date.
TikTok will pay $400 million to settle a 2024 lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice alleging violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). This settlement addresses claims that TikTok collected data from children without parental consent and failed to delete accounts upon request, marking one of the largest COPPA recoveries.
TikTok and ByteDance will pay $400 million to settle a Justice Department lawsuit alleging violations of child privacy laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). This settlement is one of the largest recoveries for a COPPA-related case and follows significant changes to TikTok's ownership and privacy practices.
TikTok and ByteDance have agreed to a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations of violating children's online privacy laws. The settlement addresses claims that TikTok collected personal information from underage users without parental consent and includes new measures for age verification and parental oversight.