The U.S. deal ends a years-long fight over how the app handled children under 13 — and what parents can do next.
If your kid has ever opened TikTok “just for a minute,” this one lands close to home. On Friday, TikTok and ByteDance agreed to pay $400 million to settle a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit over children’s privacy.
The government said the app collected personal information from users under 13 without parental consent. It also said TikTok let kids stay on regular accounts and did not always delete data when parents asked.
The company did not admit wrongdoing. Officials still called the payout one of the largest recoveries ever under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA.
How the money is split
TikTok will pay $300 million now. Another $100 million is due after a court vacates a 2019 consent decree tied to Musical.ly, the app ByteDance bought and later folded into TikTok.
That earlier case ended with a $5.7 million fine. Regulators said Musical.ly knew young children used the service and still collected names, emails, and other details without consent.
COPPA, passed in 2000, requires parental permission before apps collect data from kids under 13. YouTube paid $170 million in 2019. Epic Games paid $275 million in 2022. This deal tops both.
What the 2024 lawsuit alleged
The Justice Department filed the case under the Biden administration. It claimed TikTok collected “vast amounts of data” from millions of underage users. That included emails, phone numbers, and location information, according to later reporting on the complaint.
Prosecutors said children created standard accounts meant for ages 13 and up. Those accounts let them post videos and message adults. Parents who asked for deletion often hit delays or dead ends, the government said.
Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. called the outcome “a major victory for American children and parents.” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said companies that collect kids’ data “must comply with the law.”
What has changed inside the app
Since 2024, TikTok has shifted U.S. ownership, management, and privacy tools. ByteDance now holds a minority 19.9% stake in the U.S. joint venture. The Justice Department said the company added stronger age checks, youth safeguards, and parental controls.
In court papers, TikTok said it requires a date of birth to sign up, uses age-moderation systems, and deletes tens of thousands of underage accounts. Hundreds of staff work on that review, the company has said.
The settlement treats those steps as real progress. Officials said families should get stronger protections without years more in court. The claims remain allegations only. There was no finding of liability.
What this means at the kitchen table
A $400 million check does not wipe a child’s video history. It does raise the bar for every app that wants young users.
Ask your child, calmly, whether the account is set as under 13 or 13-plus. Turn on Family Pairing if you use it. Review who can message them. Check whether old videos are public.
COPPA still draws a bright line at 13. Kids below that age should not be on the regular For You feed without verified parental consent. If something feels off, use the in-app report tools and keep screenshots.
The settlement will not end every worry about time online. It does put a price on sloppy age gates. For parents, that is one more reason to treat the phone as a shared space, not a private club.
AI Disclosure: This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools and was reviewed and edited by the Glowls News editorial team before publication.