TikTok Reaches Major U.S. Child Privacy Settlement

WASHINGTON — TikTok and ByteDance have agreed to pay $400 million to resolve a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit concerning alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Under the agreement, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately, with another $100 million tied to the removal of an earlier consent decree involving its predecessor, Musical.ly.

The case centered on allegations that TikTok collected personal information from children under 13 without the required parental consent and failed to properly address accounts belonging to younger users.

The settlement comes as social-media companies face increasing scrutiny over children's privacy, age verification and online safety. TikTok has made changes to its U.S. operations and introduced additional safeguards since the lawsuit was filed.

The agreement could become an important benchmark for how major technology platforms handle children's data as regulators increase pressure on the social-media industry.