TikTok Secures $400M Settlement with US DOJ for Kids’ Privacy
TikTok has secured a $400 million settlement with the US Department of Justice, concluding a 2024 lawsuit that accused the company of breaching federal laws concerning children’s privacy. The DOJ announced on Friday that TikTok will remit $300 million immediately, with an additional $100 million contingent upon the vacating of a prior consent decree against its predecessor, Musical.ly. “This settlement is a major victory for American children and parents,” said US Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. in a statement.
“The Department’s priority is ensuring that children are protected online and that companies entrusted with their personal information meet their legal obligations. This resolution secures a substantial recovery while reinforcing the protections that families expect and deserve.” Since the DOJ’s lawsuit in 2024, TikTok has experienced significant transformations, particularly regarding the ownership framework of its US division. In January, the social video platform company entered into agreements with prominent investors such as Oracle, Silver Lake, and the Emirati investment firm MGX to establish the new TikTok US joint venture.
Representatives for TikTok did not provide a prompt response to a request for comment on Friday. The most recent lawsuit centers on claims that TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, based in China, breached a federal statute mandating that applications and websites aimed at children obtain parental consent prior to gathering personal data from minors under the age of 13. It is also noted that the companies neglected to fulfilll requests from parents seeking the deletion of their children’s accounts, opting not to remove accounts even when they were aware that these accounts belonged to individuals under the age of 13.
The settlement arises amid a surge of litigation confronting social media companies regarding the safety and privacy of children, alongside an increasing number of nations instituting bans on young children and teenagers from accessing social media applications. Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram, is presently facing a trial in federal court located in Oakland, California. The case revolves around accusations of breaching the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act as well as several state laws.
