TikTok settles child privacy concerns case with US government for $400m

TikTok has reached a $400 million settlement with the US government to resolve a lawsuit accusing the company of illegally collecting data from children. The 2024 suit, filed under the Biden administration, alleged that TikTok gathered information from users under 13 without parental permission.

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TikTok has reached a $400 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by the US government that accused the company of illegally gathering children’s information.

The Justice Department claimed TikTok knowingly allowed children to create accounts and failed to honor parents' requests to delete them. The company also allegedly violated federal privacy law and a 2019 agreement where it promised to protect children's privacy. Under the settlement announced Friday, TikTok will pay $300 million. The government also requested the elimination of the 2019 agreement, which would result in an additional $100 million payment from TikTok.

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The suit, brought by the US justice department, accused TikTok of knowingly allowing children to create accounts and of failing to honour parents’ requests to delete their children’s accounts.

This settlement is the latest legal outcome for TikTok. During Donald Trump's first term, an executive order aimed to force its sale, but TikTok successfully blocked the ban. In 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law that would ban the app unless sold to a non-Chinese owner. After Trump returned to office, enforcement was repeatedly delayed. In January, ByteDance announced a deal to spin off its American operations to non-Chinese investors.

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TikTok violated federal privacy law along with a 2019 agreement with the US government in which the app promised to take steps to protect children’s privacy, according to the case.