TikTok settles Alabama teen-safety case for up to $300 million
TikTok and parent company ByteDance have agreed to pay Alabama $100 million and introduce new protections for teenage users, avoiding a trial over allegations that the platform contributed to mental-health harms. The payment could reach $300 million if 40 other states reach comparable agreements within the specified period.
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have settled a lawsuit brought by Alabama over the platform’s alleged impact on teenagers, the state said on Friday. The agreement avoids a trial that was expected to examine claims about TikTok’s design, content recommendations and effects on young people’s mental health. Under the settlement, TikTok will pay Alabama $100 million.
That amount could increase to $300 million if 40 other states sign similar agreements with the company within the period set out in the settlement document. The agreement also requires measures aimed at limiting teenagers’ use of the service. These include a two-hour daily limit, restricted access for children and pauses after 15 minutes of use.
TikTok’s US operations said the deal built on its commitment to strengthen safety tools for teenagers. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall sued TikTok last year. In a statement, Marshall said the agreement would give parents greater control over what their children see and how long they use the app.
The state had alleged that TikTok’s continuous video feed was highly addictive and that its recommendation system directed young users towards material involving violence and self-harm. Alabama also accused the company of overstating protections for young users, including by allowing people to view videos without creating accounts after being asked to report their age. The lawsuit said this allowed TikTok to collect viewing data and undermined its Kids Mode feature.
At least 27 other states and Washington DC have filed similar lawsuits, while TikTok also faces thousands of claims from individuals, school districts and municipalities. The Alabama settlement resolves all cases selected for trial against the company, including claims involving five young people and a Kentucky school district. Meta Platforms, Snap and Alphabet’s YouTube are also defendants in many related cases.
The source material said Meta had separately agreed to pay $17 billion to 47 US states and territories while accepting changes to teenagers’ access to Facebook and Instagram.
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