TikTok and ByteDance Have Reached a $400 Million Settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in a case involving the protection of children's privacy online. The settlement is intended to resolve allegations of violations of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), TechCrunch reports.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed the lawsuit in 2024. The department alleged that the platform allowed millions of children under the age of 13 to use TikTok and collected their personal data without the required parental consent.
In addition to the $400 million payment, the settlement includes measures to strengthen protections for young users. These include stricter age verification, additional safeguards for children, and greater tools for parents to monitor their children’s activity and personal data. At the same time, the agreement does not require TikTok or ByteDance to admit to any wrongdoing.
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The lawsuit also alleged that for years, TikTok failed to properly identify and delete accounts belonging to users under the age of 13. According to the Department of Justice, the company stored and used children’s data—including information that could be used for targeted advertising—even after employees raised concerns about the presence of underage users on the platform.
The case also alleged that TikTok changed certain registration rules, making it more difficult to determine whether users were old enough to create an account. Previously, in 2019, the company agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle COPPA violation claims against its predecessor, Musical.ly. At that time, the company committed to taking measures to prevent children under 13 from creating accounts.
