TikTok to pay $400m to US in one of largest child privacy settlements
TikTok has agreed to a $400 million settlement with the US government to resolve allegations that it violated child privacy laws by collecting data on users under 13. The lawsuit, initiated by the Department of Justice, highlights ongoing federal scrutiny regarding the protection of minors on social media platforms.
Why it matters
This settlement represents one of the largest penalties for COPPA violations, signaling a tightening regulatory environment for tech companies regarding data privacy for children.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, TikTok has been under pressure in the US since 2024.
TikTok has agreed to pay $400m (£293m) to the US to end a lawsuit alleging its platform violated childrens' privacy, marking one of the largest ever settlements over the issue.
The deal stems from a 2024 suit by the Department of Justice under former President Joe Biden alleging TikTok and its parent company ByteDance collected "vast amounts of data" on millions of users under the age of 13.
Doing so was against the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a federal law enacted in 2000. It is the same law that dozens of US states are now suing Meta over .
"Children and parents are better protected today than they were when this case began," assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said.
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