TikTok lawsuit overview:
- Who: The U.S. Department of Justice sued TikTok, ByteDance Ltd. and several affiliates.
- Why: The DOJ alleged TikTok knowingly allowed children under 13 to create accounts and collected their personal information without proper parental notice or consent, violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
- Where: The TikTok lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to resolve a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit alleging the social media platform illegally collected personal information from children under 13.
The settlement is one of the largest recoveries obtained under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, according to the DOJ.
Under the agreement, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million if a court enters an order vacating a 2019 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) consent decree involving TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly. The parties filed a joint notice agreeing to dismiss the DOJ’s lawsuit with prejudice.
The DOJ filed the lawsuit in August 2024 against TikTok, its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd. and several affiliates.
The government alleged the companies violated COPPA by knowingly allowing children under 13 to create regular TikTok accounts and collecting their personal information despite being subject to the 2019 FTC order.
TikTok allegedly collected children’s information without parental consent
According to the DOJ, TikTok allowed millions of children under 13 to create accounts and interact with adults, while its systems for identifying and removing child accounts were deficient.
The department also alleged TikTok collected children’s personal information without proper parental notice or consent and made it difficult for parents to request account deletion.
The allegations followed a 2019 FTC consent decree involving Musical.ly, which required $5.7 million in payments and corrective measures to protect younger users.
Since then, TikTok has changed its ownership, management, compliance functions and privacy practices and implemented measures to strengthen age controls and parental oversight.
As part of the resolution, the DOJ asked a court to vacate the 2019 FTC consent order, arguing the agreement imposed requirements beyond COPPA while noting TikTok would remain subject to federal children’s privacy laws.
The DOJ said the settlement resolves the dispute while accounting for TikTok’s updated compliance and privacy practices.
Meanwhile, TikTok is facing a class action lawsuit alleging it violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by sending unsolicited text messages to consumers.
What do you think about this TikTok children’s data privacy settlement? Let us know in the comments.
The U.S. government is represented by Stanley E. Woodward Jr. and John Adams of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The TikTok lawsuit is United States of America v. ByteDance Ltd., et al., Case No. 2:24-cv-06535, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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