GoKawiilTikTok, ByteDance to pay $400M in DOJ settlement over child privacy violations
The U.S. Department of Justice settled its lawsuit against TikTok, ByteDance and affiliated companies for $400 million over repeated violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The suit, filed in 2024, alleged TikTok let children under 13 create standard accounts outside its restricted Kids Mode, collected their data without parental consent, and failed to delete accounts when parents requested it. TikTok will pay $300 million immediately, with an additional $100 million due if a court vacates an earlier 2019 consent decree tied to its predecessor app, Musical.ly.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This is one of the largest COPPA settlements on record, signaling regulators' growing willingness to pursue major platforms for child privacy failures even after prior enforcement actions. It also underscores continued scrutiny of TikTok's data practices amid broader U.S. concerns about its Chinese ownership, even as the company touts recent compliance improvements.
- TikTok and ByteDance agreed to pay $400 million over alleged repeated COPPA violations.
- The case stems from claims that children under 13 bypassed Kids Mode protections and had data retained without consent.
- The settlement follows a smaller 2019 FTC penalty against TikTok's predecessor, Musical.ly.
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Published there as: “TikTok reaches $400M settlement with US over COPPA violations”
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